Revelation
by Sandfire Kat
Summary: With the Night Furies gathered behind him, Hiccup has to return to Berk. But while the Viking tries to keep a hold on these new once-wild beasts, Berk, blinded by recent tragedy, is hunting them down like animals. Searching for vengeance and a form of justice, Stoick has ordered all Night Furies to be hunted and killed, and for Hiccup and Astrid to be found: at ANY cost.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Someone told me that I should stick to the trending kind of titles I've had before and that I would be wise to choose a title that ends in: 'ion' like all the others. So…REVELATION ;D

Did everybody vote on the poll? The two people I'm having trouble handling are tied right now, so it's not really helping me a bunch… And if you haven't seen already, I've posted up all the fanart from my readers up on my profile page to look at! Thank you to everyone who made time in their busy lives to draw scenes or covers for me! I appreciate it so much, and I love all of you! :D

And I'm excited to make another story with all of you, too ;)

Astrid's dad is called by his last name…cause…I dunno his name. o-o Objections? No? Okay. :'3

WHO'S GOT TWO THUMBS AND CAN'T DO VIKING ACCENTS? THIS GURL.

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

Night came upon the island like it always did; it came accompanied with dark masses of clouds, and a wet kind of feeling to linger in the air. Overhead, the blackness edging across the skies hid away the moon and the stars, almost adding a kind of exaggeration to the night. The overcast promised either a hard rain, or a mushy snow. Either way, the weather was like it always was, and always had been. Since the bad weather was starting to make its first appearances, the village was empty. People were staying holed up in their homes, being wise as they stayed inside.

But a few people _were_ outside, braving the weather unlike all the others as they emerged from the forest. By the state of their clothes and hair, they'd been inside the woods for far too long. Each man had some sort of scratch or bruise from maneuvering the tough terrain, and their eyes were raw with exhaustion as they stumbled towards the head of the village. Their feet dragged against the grass, and a few weary mummers started among them as they raised their eyes up to the cloudy sky a little nervously. But the man at the head of their posse didn't waver as he made for the Chief's home, so they had no choice but to keep on.

Trudging up the steep slope up towards the house, they finally reached the destination. The people in tow sighed gratefully as they came to a gathered halt, thanking their lucky stars that the gale hadn't broken yet. Although, looking at the sky, they knew that it was pure luck. Even the clouds seemed to bend under the weight of its held-in water. The man that had been assigned to lead their expedition pushed his way up to the door without a single glance at the sky, reaching up and knocking on the rough wood respectfully.

A thunderclap shook the island, and no sooner had the noise ripped through the air did the night sky light up with a bright light. Lightening sliced apart the clouds for the briefest moment, a jagged scar in the dark. From the back of the group, Spitelout let out a loud curse as he tried to calm down from his brief flash of fear at the sudden noise. "Gobber, is ridiculous!" He said loudly, the head of their party turning at his sudden outburst. The man jabbed a finger back up at the clouds, obviously fuming as his face turned a slight shade of pink. "This is the millionth time that we've gone out there! And it's going to storm any minute now! We need to be in our homes, not out there wandering around the forest!"

Gobber opened his mouth to reply to the angry shout, when suddenly one of the men rounded on the hot-headed Viking. "Of course _you_ would think that!" He snapped angrily, eyes like twin flames as he glared holes through the man. Spitelout narrowed his eyes crossly at the statement, but the speaker didn't falter in his words. "It's not like you would care, isn't that right? After all, it's not _your _child out there somewhere!"

Spitelout snarled angrily, taking a step forward as he balled his hands into two tight fists. "And you know why?" He asked critically, flashing back his own retort at the accusation. "It's because _my _kid doesn't go off running headfirst into trouble like your's does." The man stiffened like a board at this, but Spitelout only deepened his glare. "Snotlout knows better than to run off and hide out who-knows-where! Besides, we've skirted nearly the entire forest by now and they're nowhere to be found! Obviously if they were here, we woulda caught sight of them. It's a useless task."

Gobber could see that the man was slowly fluffing up with anger. His face was a stark scarlet, and the man knew that if he let the two of them keep going, then someone would end up hurt or injured. And besides, Stoick was a sight enough without all this trouble with fighting villagers. This was the last thing they needed. Looking over to the man who had challenged Spitelout in the first place, Gobber eyed him carefully. "Calm down, Hofferson." He said in what he hoped was a comforting tone. Ask anyone in the village, he was never the consoling type. "I'm sure that we'll be able to find both your daughter and everyone else without too much-"

Thunder drowned out the rest of his speech, another flash of white-hot light making its appearance as the island shrunk underneath the heavy weight of the coming squall. But Hofferson wasn't fazed by it, squaring himself up angrily as he looked at Spitelout with a sense of utmost fury. "What do you mean they're nowhere to be found?" He repeated in an angered haze. "We haven't even made a dent in our searching yet! Don't you _want _them not to be found? Have you forgotten that it's not just me who lost someone? It's _your _nephew out there too, ya know! Just because Snotlout isn't out there too-"

Spitelout snarled angrily, doing a sufficient job of cutting the man off. "Don't tell me how I should feel about kids." He said crossly, seething with anger at both this pointless fight, and their pointless job of scouring the island. They've been at it for days, and it was obvious that everyone was at their breaking point. "And even if Snotlout was out there, it still wouldn't matter! Unlike you, I don't _baby _my kids. We're Vikings! Not some pansy group of people that need to hold hands."

Hofferson only bristled even more at the comment, drawing himself up as he jabbed an accusing finger into his opponent's face. "Oh, yeah?" He yelled angrily, Gobber cursing the gods as he started forward angrily. "I guess that explains how well _your _kid turned out!" He spat. "I guess that's why he's in such a big shadow of your nephew that you obviously don't care about!" Spitelout looked ready to explode at this comment. The other members in their party had slowly backed away from their skirmish, eyes wide with a nervous kind of fear. Some even stepped so far away from the house that they were slowly getting drenched from the rain that was starting to whip itself down from the cloudy sky.

"Alright, you two!" Gobber snapped angrily, lunging forward and forcing the two apart with a heavy shove. The two fell away from each other, still throwing looks of anger as they regained their footing. "I realize that you all are tired." The blacksmith went on, shooting the pair a sharp look as he remained their physical barrier. "But that doesn't give you any kinda excuse to throw your weight around!" Giving each man one last glare, he added: "Now pipe down, stop your yellin', and let's report to Stoick."

Spitelout looked away with a sharp grumble of irritation. "It's not like it'll come out any different." He growled under his breath. "We've come back with the same news a million times over. He'll just tell us to do the same exact thing all over again. Why do we even bother coming back to talk to him?"

At this, Gobber allowed himself to feel a little spark of anger. Much as he liked to keep a level-head most of the time, these words did little to help him maintain his composure. He turned stiffly, back at the door by now. Once again, he gave another series of knocks on the door, though this time the banging was considerably harder as he slammed his hand against the wood. "Now listen here, Spitelout." He growled, eyes narrowing into thin slits of anger as he looked at the Chief's anything-but-level-headed brother. True, he was a good warrior, and always showed where his loyalty lied in the end, though Gobber found himself fully frustrated with him more than half the time. Much like his son, Gobber reflected sourly.

"Much as you like to forget _all the time_," Gobber said scathingly, hearing footsteps start up on the other side of the door. "Stoick is chief. That means ya listen to him, ya do what he says, and ya don't question it. So right now I'd suggest that ya shut up, stand in line, and stop your buggin' before I have to make ya." His voice was barbed at the end, obviously sending the Viking a warning that he needn't voice. Taking the hint with a disgruntled glower, Spitelout turned away pointedly just in time for Stoick to open the door.

The chief answered like he always did, with a large sweeping motion that was slightly rushed. His eyes immediately went to the group, searching the pockets and holes that were apparent in the party. But, like all the times before, his expression grew a little angry as he didn't catch sight of any extra people in tow. The Chief leaned forward, blinking thoughtfully as he took a quick glance up at the stormy sky. Clearing his throat, he turned back to the group. "Go home." He said firmly, making it an order with the tone of his voice. Gobber twitched angrily as he saw Spitelout breathe out a sigh of relief. "Gobber, you have to stay behind and tell me what happened."

Without a single goodbye, or any additional words of that type, Stoick turned and headed back into his house. Unnerved, Gobber stood still for a few moments, blinking slowly as he tried to wrap his mind around what was happening. It was falling apart so fast, sometimes the man had trouble trying to keep up with it. Reluctantly, he turned and nodded awkwardly to the search party, standing still for a moment and watching the group break up with irritated mumbles. He stood on the stoop of the Haddock Home, eyes following his fellow Vikings as they all fled for their families. The Vikings tried to dodge the raindrops that were now coming down at a million miles an hour, and Gobber realized with a sigh that he would have to make the long trek back home just like them soon. And his house was on the other side of the village.

_The things I do for this guy. _Gobber thought with irritation, turning hesitantly and walking in after his friend. He took time to shut the door behind him, taking care to make sure it was locked. With a storm that looked like it had some nasty potential like this, he didn't want the door blowing open from the wind. Once he was sure that the wooden barrier wouldn't act up, he turned around and followed Stoick. The man was hunched over a large table on the other side of the room, scowling as he grabbed up a pencil and furiously scratched across the surface of a map.

Gobber sighed as he recognized the sheet of paper; Stoick had been keeping track of how far the search parties had gone out, and what section of the island they checked. The map that he was busy scribbling over was a layout of the island of Berk. The chief had been busy scratching over some parts of the map and circling others that might hold what they were looking for. Looking a little ruefully at the stressed-out leader, Gobber shifted a little uneasily. "You could have at least said something to em." He said finally, voice oddly quiet in the noticeably-empty home. "They've been working hard lately."

"Not hard enough." Stoick growled angrily, not even pausing to glance back over at his friend. "Where did you search today?"

Gobber sighed, more pointedly this time. Walking over to Stoick's side with his same lopsided gait, the man reached over and drew a finger from one point to the other on the map. They had searched farther today, starting out earlier in the morning and going up until the moon was high in the sky. Or, would be high in the sky, if not for the clouds that blocked it. "From Raven's Point to the Cove. We figured that they might be there of all places, but we came up with nothing." He stopped himself just short of saying: like all the other times. He snapped his mouth closed before the words could slip out, but Stoick didn't seem to notice his almost-blunder.

The Chief took his pencil, ramming it down angrily against the table as he scratched out the area furiously in black. He pressed so hard that by the time he was finished with the task, there were bits and pieces of the charcoal scattered across the table, chunks that hadn't been used yet. Gobber eyed the pieces a little oddly, but Stoick's freezing voice cut off his thoughts as the man began to speak in a low tone. "They must be somewhere here, then." He growled, jabbing his finger down to gesture at the small space that had yet to be mauled off the paper. "We have to get out there soon and find them before they can move. We have to-"

"You know." Gobber said stiffly, looking at Stoick a little reproachfully as he narrowed his eyes. "We could try a different approach." The Chief finally seemed to hear Gobber this time, finally managing to tear his gaze away from the map as he turned to his friend. His eyes were a little distant, and Gobber wondered with pang whether the odd expression was from worry or anger. And he became even more concerned when he couldn't make a valuable guess on the two; he could be either one. "How about we search a little-"

"We have been searching, Gobber." Stoick said, fuming as he didn't wait for the man to finish speaking. Gobber went silent at this, choking back his flash of impatience and anger as he listened to the Chief with a dull look. The man turned on his heel, pacing up and down the room like he was in deep thought. "We've searched nearly the whole island for them, and yet we haven't found a single trace." He lifted his right arm, reaching up to rub his forehead roughly, the way he always did when he got increasingly stressed. "We have to double the patrols. Tell people that they're our number one priority. Put up sentries every night in the watchtowers, put guards stationed around the island, make sure that we're covering the entire place." He gave a small sigh, coming to a stop at the foot of the stairs. He turned, looking up the incline with an expression that was entirely unreadable.

Gobber cleared his throat, and yet Stoick didn't look back at him. Going on and hoping that his friend was listening, the male went on. "We could take a _different approach_." He said, putting emphasis on the last few words. "Stoick, when we're out there, we're looking for villagers that have run away. We're looking for people to drag back to this house against their will." He paused a moment, feeling a small flash of sadness at the images in his head before adding the last part. His voice turned hushed at this next part, and he felt a small tug in his heart at the same time. "We're not looking for your _son_. We're looking for a prisoner, not Hiccup."

"We can't take a different approach." Stoick snapped harshly, bristling as he turned away from the stairs, looking instead into the depths of the fire that blazed in the hearth. His eyes were chips of flint, and he dug his nails into the palms of his hands deeply. "No other kind of way will work." Suddenly, his look changed to a darker sort of gaze, and Gobber felt a strange sense of foreboding at the new change. "He went after that dragon." The chief growled angrily, seething with a new kind of anger. "Even when the Raids stop, this Night Fury is still causing trouble."

"I don't think it's-"

"We _have _to find them." Stoick repeated, much more firmer this time as he rounded on his friend. "No matter what we have to do, or where we have to go. We have to start searching away from the island. Do you remember where that one island was, Gobber? With all the other Night Furies?" The Chief's eyes grew distant once more as he elaborated this new kind of plan. As if he were already seeing the Village lined up and ready to take off towards their destination. "Maybe they've gone there. Maybe we can find them if we leave straight away. We can go right now, there's no stopping us. Maybe we could even-"

Gobber's eyes grew wide at the odd ramblings, a wild question ripping through his mind at the sight of this new side of Stoick. _Is this just because he's so worried, or because he's gone mad with anger? _Deciding the question was unimportant, and backtracking quickly as he saw the man starting to advance, all sane rationalizations left the man's mind. As Stoick got closer, Gobber could see no other way around it. He wasn't sure why, but he needed Stoick to stop scaring him like this. Locking his arm back quickly, without even realizing it, Gobber threw forward a sharp punch, fist ramming right into the side of the Chief's head with a shocking tremor up his wrist.

Stoick was obviously surprised by the blow, eyes wide as his head flew to the side with the impact. Any lesser man would have been knocked right off his feet, but the burly chief only staggered slightly, regaining his footing after a moment as he straightened. His astonished eyes landed on Gobber, one hand going up and rubbing the sore spot numbly. Gobber's eyes were filled with confusion and maybe a little bit of fright as he lowered his arm in slow motion, hand still locking into a tight fist. "…I'm sorry." Stoick said in a hushed tone, just managing the words.

Gobber slowly got over the hurdle as he calmed down, a thought passing in the back of his mind that he should probably have been the one to apologize. After all, he just punched his friend for little to no reason. Shaking the pondering away and deciding that he would try and take his mind off of what just happened, Gobber's tone turned back to the clipped, business-like manner that it was before the episode. "We can't go back to that island right now." He said, jerking his head back towards the door, already hearing the rain and wind lashing against the side of the house. The storm had picked up faster than he thought it would, and it would surely do a number on the island. "Not in this kinda storm." He paused a moment before adding: "And that trip could take forever, Stoick. We don't have enough men for it, either." It felt kind of strange to be reminding his Chief of things such as this.

But Stoick seemed to have recovered from his odd behavior. He nodded slowly, thinking much slower now as he became noticeably quieter. He had dropped his hand from the side of his face, and Gobber figured that the hit hadn't really fazed him. After all, if a slice from a dragon did little to nothing, his punch had just been like a small little tap. The Chief cleared his throat after a moment's silence, shifting a little uneasily as he refused to look over at his friend. "…So…what do you suppose we do?" He asked, voice sounding as though it were carefully measured this time around.

Gobber gave a small sigh through his nose, feeling a sinking pit in his stomach. "I think you need to go out there yourself." He said, watching his tone carefully and making sure that he didn't sound too sharp or demanding. His voice was gentle as he looked at his friend, and once again, he felt that nerve-shaking pang of pity. "If Hiccup is anywhere on this island at all, he won't come out to some band of random Villagers callin' his name like he's some kinda criminal." He paused a moment, weighing his words before: "But he'll come out to his father."

Stoick shook his head listlessly, looking worn all of a sudden. "No, he wouldn't." He said gruffly, still not meeting his friend's eyes. The man let out a heavy sigh, looking frustrated as he turned fully, putting his back to Gobber. "The last time I saw 'im…" He trailed off for a moment, as if at a loss. "He was spouting nonsense…I had no other choice but try and hold him back!" Stoick whirled around, eyes fixed firmly on Gobber, waiting expectantly for an agreement. But when Gobber remained quiet, Stoick pressed his case. "I couldn't let him go do what he was rambling about…it would have been dangerous for everyone on the island! But…" He blanched, not able to finish the sentence.

"Stoick, you know Hiccup." Gobber said, trying his best to comfort the man. "He gets ideas, and sometimes they turn out well."

"And most of the time?" Stoick asked scathingly. Gobber hesitated a moment, and Stoick gave a tense nod, answering his own question. "Most of the time they blow up in everyones' faces, Gobber! We can't have another 'Hiccup Idea.' Not right now. Not when the last 'Hiccup Idea' resulted in the deaths of nearly half the village." The Chief reached up, rubbing his forehead with an agonized grimace. "People dead…families broken apart…the whole island in ruins…that's what happened last time Hiccup tried to do anything. We were willing to give the female dragon a try back then, and we were willing to put aside our rational thinking for that time, and look what happened because of it." He shook his head firmly. "I'm not going to do it again, Gobber."

"Vikings don't normally have rational thinking." Gobber said, trying to lighten the mood. "Maybe it was just-"

"This isn't a joke, Gobber!" Stoick snapped, cutting his friend off with his irritated shout. "We have a serious problem on our hands! If Hiccup has gone out there to bring that Night Fury back here, the island is just going to get worse!" He turned swiftly, brushing past Gobber as he marched back over to the table that had the map. He slammed his fist down on the section that had yet to be crossed off, his fist creating almost a thunder-like sound as Gobber winced away from it. "We have to keep searching. We can't let up now."

"Are you sure?" Gobber asked, voice ragged now as he tried one last time to try and urge the Chief into changing his strategy.

"Yes." He said stiffly, squashing the last hope that Gobber had of changing the game. "If Hiccup _is _trying to bring back the Night Fury, he's going to be in for a surprise." Stoick turned stiffly. "Do what I asked." He said, making it an order. "We need to keep watch over the island in case the beasts return. Distribute the men so we have some to guard and some to patrol. From now on, our main goal is to _keep this island safe_. We have to track down Hiccup before things can get farther out of hand. I will not let those infernal monsters back on this island, Gobber. They may have succeeded in killing off Vikings here before," The man's eyes hardened, narrowing into slits of fury as he gripped the edge of the table tightly. "but if they show their faces here again, we'll show 'em that coming back was a grave mistake."

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

Excitement thrummed through the dragon's paws as he raced down the tunnel passageway, eyes wide with a laughing sort of expression. His breaths came in as sharp gasps, wings extended ever so slightly as they brushed the sides of the cavern. He glanced over his shoulder quickly, gleaming eyes seeing effortlessly in the darkness. The female was right on his tail, looking just as ecstatic as he was as she charged forward. "It's time!" He sang in a high trill, voice ragged from their running. But neither of the two showed any sign of slowing down, and they only pushed themselves faster as they neared the main section of the cave. "It can't believe it's finally here!"

"We're on the move!" The male yowled in triumph, finally feeling the sense of accomplishment that he'd been waiting for. He'd waited for what seemed like forever, and now he had the chance to bask in the glorious feeling. They'd managed to get nearly the entire Pack on their side now, save for the elderly, the too-young, and the small group of grumpy-paws. But the sheer size of their group now had nearly quadrupled, and that fact alone was enough to send the young dragon into a fit of happiness.

He burst into the main cavern, eyes wide with awe and astonishment as he took in the sight before him. Dragons of every shape and size were gathered around together near the entrance. They were milling around one another, separate conversations slowly coming together to create a roar of sound. The dragons seemed to be ready to go as they looked out over the island. But there was tremor of nervousness in the air as well, and he could see that a few of the dragons were casting looks back at the cave, as if they suddenly realized that they were leaving for good.

The footsteps quieted behind him, and the male turned curiously to look over his shoulder. The light brown dragon had come to a halt behind him, green eyes suddenly rounded out with a stranger kind of emotion. Slowly, she twisted around to look back at her, blinking slowly as she gazed back into the tunnel that they had just finished running through. The black depths yawned like a mouth, and the slender dragon gave a nervous shuffle of her paws at the sight of it.

The male blinked, titling his head to the side as he turned back to pad over to her delicately. "Leafdapple?" He prompted, sounding worried as he took in this new change. It was such a sudden transition from what she had been moments before, and the youth was suddenly struck with a sense of doubt. Was she going to change her mind now that she realized she would never come back here? His wings stiffened with fear at the thought, Leafdapple slowly turning around to meet his eyes curiously.

"Shadowclaw…you think I'll miss it here?" She asked, voice a little distant as she looked at him carefully.

Shadowclaw's ears flicked with surprise at the odd question. His green eyes flashed a little as he looked around the cave, at the familiar landmarks and feel of the walls that curved overhead. He wouldn't miss it; he barely remembered his time spent here as a little youngling in the Nursery. But he hadn't stayed here as long as Leafdapple had; he'd left when he was far too young, urged on by the reckless (and stupid) feeling of adventure that he always had when he was with Toothless. The older male had left, and little Shadowclaw had decided to follow him on his stubby wings.

He hadn't formed a bond with this place, he had only formed a bond with the few that were inside it. And since those who he became close to left, he did as well, without any second thoughts. So if it were him, he would immediately say: 'Of course you won't, you'll be just fine!' But looking at Leafdapple, who had spent nearly her whole life in this place, who knew it like the back of her claw, he couldn't bring himself to lie to her like that. She might end up missing her old home, that much was almost a given. Shadowclaw could only hope that the grief would be cancelled out with the feeling she would be shown while on Berk.

Leafdapple had perked at the silence, growing somewhat nervous now as she looked at him expectantly. Shaking himself, Shadowclaw finally opened his mouth and answered her. "You might." He said eventually, looking down and absent-mindedly drawing a paw over the smooth touch of the cave floor. "After all, you've lived here your whole life. I would be surprised if you _didn't _miss it every once in a while." But then he brightened, bouncing over to her and giving her an affectionate flick with his tail. "But you'll like where we're going, I promise you! You won't forget this place entirely, that's not what we're trying to do. But you have to realize that if you live here…." He gave a small shrug. "If you live here, then you're not…"

Leafdapple's eyes softened at this, and her tail curled up with a happy sort of twist. She got to her feet now, pushing herself up and touching her nose to Shadowclaw's in a friendly gesture. "I understand." She said warmly, drawing back after a moment as she smiled at him. Shadowclaw was warmed by the expression; he'd spent nearly a whole day gathering up all the Night Furies that were around his age, teaching them and coaching them on how to smile. They'd all caught on pretty quick, and some found it funny as they smiled for laughs. But Leafdapple seemed to be the best at giving out the grin. But maybe that's just because her's was just so pretty.

"C'mon!" Leafdapple chirped when he didn't react. She turned, bounding forward and bouncing over towards the center of the magnificent cavern. Her ears were upright with excitement once more, her brief hint of doubt now dashed away. She rushed into the heart of the gathering, glancing over her shoulder at Shadowclaw as she did so. "Let's see if we can find the others in this mess!" She yelled, turning back around and vanishing into the throng.

Anxious not to be left behind, and relieved that Leafdapple had regained her footing, Shadowclaw rushed after her. His paws were light as he skimmed across the stone, and he did his best to weave through the crowd without ramming into anybody. The Night Furies turned and eyed him oddly as he skirted through the crowd, but they didn't say anything as the male darted his way after the female. "Wait up!" He puffed airily, calling back to Leafdapple as he nearly tripped into the paws of Brightstream. "Sorry!" He squeaked, not glancing back at her as he remained in a brisk run. "Leafdapple!" He whined. "I'm not as fast as you!"

Suddenly, he slammed right into the leg of a Night Fury, the blow causing him to bounce off and crash into the ground with a huff. His green eyes snapped open wide with surprise, picking himself off the ground with a wince as he tried to recover himself. "Sorry!" He said again, looking over to the dragon he had crashed into. He felt embarrassment fill him from ears to tail-tip, and he opened his mouth to babble out an excuse that hopefully sounded right. But then he cut himself off at the sight of the dragon in front of him, smiling carelessly now as he recognized the figure. "Oh, it's just you." He said, Mistyeyes scowling as she rolled her eyes. "For a minute I thought it was someone I'd have to apologize to."

Mistyeyes gave a good-natured huff, reaching out and prodding the smaller dragon sharply in the ribs. Her blue eyes were filled with annoyance, but there was a also a small hint of amusement in their depths. "Why don't you stop traipsing around?" She suggested dryly, flicking the end of her tail dismissively. "We've got a long way to go, and we're going to leave soon. Don't tire yourself out before we even start our journey."

Shadowclaw settled his face into an overly-serious expression, closing his eyes and nodding dramatically in agreement. When he opened his eyes again, Mistyeyes was looking at him sourly. She sighed heavily, reaching out once again and pushing him away gently. "Oh, away with you." She said tartly. "If you stay any longer, I'm going to have to separate your tail from your body." Shadowclaw stuck his tongue out a her, turning on his claws and bouncing away in the direction that Leafdapple had gone. Mistyeyes watched him go, a small smile playing on the edges of her lips at the sight of him.

"Was that Shadowclaw?" The female started at the voice, turning around and glancing back with a happy look. Toothless was weaving through the crowd, heading over to her and coming to a stop at her side. The dragon looked much more thoughtful and serious than he usually was, eyes careful and calculating as he looked over the crowd slowly. "We need to make sure that everyone is here before we take off." Toothless explained to her, the gray dragon straightening at the instructions. "I figured you would know more dragons here than I would."

"Sure, I can help." Mistyeyes said brightly. "Yeah, that was Shadowclaw. And I think he was going after Leafdapple. So…that's two down."

Toothless sighed gently, shooting her a weary smile. "Only a million more to go."

Mistyeyes smiled wryly, brushing against him affectionately as she headed for the outer side of the crowd. There they would be able to get a better look at who was here and who wasn't. And then if there were a few stragglers, they would have to resort to scouring the tunnels for them. But it shouldn't be too hard, Mistyeyes reasoned with herself. After all, she knew the tunnels fairly well considering she hadn't been here in what felt like forever. She would be able to find her way around pretty easily. "You make it sound like having more dragons is a bad thing." She said coyly, glancing back at Toothless, who was trotting after her briskly.

He quickened his pace, falling into step beside her as he shrugged. "I never said that." He said, lowering his voice some as they broke out of the circle of other Night Furies. "It's just…we're walking on thin ice, you know?" Mistyeyes turned to look at him, blinking slowly as she sat down a ways away from the crowd. Toothless did the same, hesitating a moment before nodding in their direction. "They made a change for the better, we know that much. But…I can't help wondering if it will hold."

"What do you mean?" Mistyeyes asked, puzzled as she tilted her head to the left.

"Well... think about it. The change was _good _but…it was _fast _too." He let a frown cross his features as he gazed intently at the group of Night Furies. "I just can't help wondering whether or not it'll hold with them, you know? They seemed so unsure before, and now all of a sudden they're not. It's just a little unnerving if you think about it."

Mistyeyes paused a moment, eyes narrowing a fraction as she judged Toothless's features. She had expected the dragon to be a little put-out at all of this fuss. Ever since Hiccup first started to talk about coming here to the Night Furies, Mistyeyes had wondered whether or not Toothless would become jealous at the lack of attention from the human. After all, before, it had been just him. Now that there were a bunch of other Night Furies for Hiccup to handle, the boy didn't have time to bond with Toothless like he used to. But there was no hint of jealousy in the male's eyes. There wasn't an angry bristle in his scales or a sour flex in his claws. He merely looked worn out, tired and out of ideas.

Mistyeyes leaned forward, pressing her head comfortingly against his cheek. "Then don't think about it." She suggested warmly. "We've come this far, we won't let anything like that slow us down, will we?" Toothless shot her a grateful look, not replying outwardly to her words. But Mistyeyes wasn't fazed, smiling encouragingly as she got to her feet. "C'mon. Let's go take some role call, shall we?"

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

"Shadowclaw and Leafdapple seem to be getting along pretty well now." Astrid observed, leaning against the wall of the cave as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her blue eyes were trained down at the crowd below, having a good view right into the heart of crowd. She could see the dark shapes of the two as they ran and zipped through the mass of dragons, and the blonde let a small smile grace her features. "Well, at least they're getting well _together_. I dunno if all that trampling around will help them get along with the other Night Furies too well." Hiccup didn't reply to her, and she frowned, smile dashing away as she turned over to glance back at him. "…Hiccup?" She prompted.

The boy was staring, not listening to her at all as he let out a small mumble in what she guessed was supposed to be a reply. He was sitting on the edge of the ledge that the pair were on, green eyes shadowed as he looked down at the dragons a few feet below. His legs dangled loosely over the edge of the rock, and Astrid noticed that his hands were gripping his knees rather tightly, as if he were nervous about something.

The sight made a crease appear in the girl's forehead, and she pushed off the wall of the cave as she sidled over to be beside him. She went carefully, wincing as her foot slipped a little on the damp surface. But gradually she got closer to the boy, and she gently lowered herself down to sit on his left. Her shoulders relaxed visibly as she ensured that she wouldn't slip off, the blonde clearing her throat a little before doing anything else.

She leaned over a little, reaching out and waving a hand rapidly in front of Hiccup's face. "Earth to Mr. I Can Talk to Dragons!" She sang, watching as Hiccup blinked rapidly at the interference of her hand. She broke whatever spacing contact he held, the boy turning over to look at her like she had roused him from sleep. Astrid looked at him carefully, looking concerned now as she let her joking manner slip. "You okay?" She asked softly. "I thought you would have been happy now that we got all of these dragons on our sides." She turned to look down at the group below. "We've got quite the collection now, I thought you would be relieved."

"I am." Hiccup said quickly. But he drew a hand loosely through his hair, eyes suddenly troubled as he bit his lower lip. "It's just…a feeling I have, I guess."

"A feeling of what?" Astrid asked. "Imminent disaster? 'Cause I think you're a little late if that's what you're feeling. You should have felt that like…days ago."

Hiccup shot her a slightly frustrated look. "You could say that." He said sourly, eyes flashing. Astrid became quiet as she realized that joking wouldn't help Hiccup right now. Usually it could shake him out of his troubles if the blonde shot a few cracks in his direction. But it seemed like he was too distracted now to appreciate them. The blonde became quiet as the thought entered her mind, merely staring at her Viking and waiting for him to explain.

The boy sighed at the change, turning away and mumbling out a small apology. "I'm sorry." He said regretfully. "It's just…I feel like something is wrong. You know when you get that feeling? Like you haven't realized what exactly it is yet, but…you just _know _that something isn't right? Like when you go to training and you forgot your sword? When you're going out the door, you think: 'Gee, I feel like I'm missing something.'" Astrid paused, thinking a moment before nodding slowly. Hiccup shrugged listlessly, "That's how I feel." He stated plainly.

"Well, let's think." Astrid said, reaching over and grabbing his hand in her's, trying to comfort him as best she could. "I'm right here." She started, pursing her lips as she thought. "Toothless and Mistyeyes went down to survey the crowd. Shadowclaw and Leafdapple are off running around down there. Nightflight went to talk to the dragons and make sure that everyone knows what's going to be going on these next few days. Ludi is right there." She turned, nodding over to the cat, who was pressed up in a ball on Hiccup's other side. "…And the dragons going with us are all down there waiting for our signal." Astrid concluded with an encouraging grin. "That just about covers everything."

Hiccup nodded slowly, but Astrid could tell that he was still unconvinced. She sighed lightly, leaning over and wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. She leaned against his side like she couldn't sit up herself, rolling her eyes and saying dryly: "You'd better be glad I put up with you." She informed him. "Because I'm not too sure that anybody else would."

This seemed to catch Hiccup's attention. The boy let out a small sigh of laughter, turning around and returning the hug just as tightly. "Believe me, I know." He said softly before drawing away. He glanced at her quietly for a moment or two, looking as if he wanted to say something more. But he shook himself, clearing his throat with a loud cough as he stood up. Astrid followed his lead, bracing herself in case the boy slipped off the rock. With his fake foot, the terrain was even harder for him to maneuver than it was for Astrid. If he fell, she'd have to try and catch him.

But he balanced himself neatly on the ledge, making Astrid scowl as she felt her foot slip off the side for the millionth time. She cursed under her breath, bringing her foot back to herself as she scowled down at the limb. "It feels like the world is tilted when I'm up here, or something." She growled angrily, regaining her balance with a sour expression. "I don't know how you keep yourself from slipping right off the rock."

Hiccup hummed a reply, looking down thoughtfully at the dragons below. "Should we leave, then?" He asked softly, voice growing subdued as he asked the question.

Astrid perked at this, following his line of eyesight as she blinked. The dragons looked more than ready to leave, they were all just hanging around waiting for Hiccup to say something about their departure. Mistyeyes and Toothless were gone, they must be tracking down the last few dragons that were supposed to leave. But still, Hiccup should say something even before they returned, just so the dragons could realize that they were leaving for good soon.

Astrid looked around the cave, feeling a small pang as she realized that she'd never come back here again. While her stay here hadn't been that pleasurable, what with the angry Night Furies, the pressure of showing them all about Berk, and the stressful nights, she found she would miss it. It held a lot of memories now, and it was a beautiful scenery to live with. She'd come to like the way that the light from outside would always catch the water on the walls in just the right angle, or the way that the stalagmites and the stalactites created a memorizing pattern.

It was pretty place to live, and she could understand if it took the Night Furies a little while to bear to leave the caverns of their old home. But Berk was where everyone here belonged, especially her and Hiccup. They couldn't stay here forever, even if the thought of going back to Berk was a little scary. They had to swallow back their fright and learn to face the inevitable, knowing that it would turn out okay. "Yes." She said finally, turning to give the boy an encouraging smile. "We should."

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

A/N: **Cause I'm halfway gone and I'm on my way. And I'm feeling, feeling, feeling this way.**

**Cause I'm halfway in, but don't take too long. Cause I'm halfway gone, I'm halfway gone.**

Halfway Gone - Lifehouse

I feel like that's either a good song for Stoick or Hiccup. Hiccup takes half the song, and his dad gets the other half ^^

If you want to know WHY I named this Revelation, and if you want to listen to something that could **give you hints **about what might happen later on in this story, search up the song: No light, No light by Florence and the Machine. It could just let ya in on a few well-kept secrets that might happen ;) ((I'd like to hear what you're thinking after you listen to it if you do))

Funny ((But kinda long)) story. I sent a picture of what Hiccup and Astrid are gonna look like ((my profile pic I think)) to my friend in text, and this is what proceeded: Me: KDGJOIH HE'S SO ADORABLE. Her: I' M WATCHING THE RING. I HAVE NO TIME FOR THIS. Me: BUT HE'S ADORABLE. Her: I SEE THAT. Me: BUT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND. YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE TEARS OF SHEER JOY AND EXCITEMENT THAT ARE FLOWING DOWN MY FACE LIKE RAINBOW LIQUID WATERFALLS. Her: RAINBOW LIQUID WATERFALLS YOU SAY!? I THINK I MAY UNDERSTAND. Me: NO YOU DON'T. MY PASSION. MY MENTAL ROMANCE. MY ANGUISH. IT'S LIKE ROMEO AND JULIET. I AM OFFICIALLY IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE I CAN NEVER HAVE. Her: Because they are an animated character. Me: IT'S EVERY WOMANS' DREAM.

That is literally the text conversation. I changed nothing XDD


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Alright, after this chapter, I'm closing the poll~! So all y'all who haven't voted yet and are wanting their opinions made to me…better hurry up! ;)

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It was slow going, walking down these tunnels. She could have quickened her pace, she could have even broken into a brisk run at this point. After all, it didn't matter she couldn't see farther than her own nose; she knew these caverns like the back of her claw. She didn't need to think in order to weave through the long passageways. She merely let her feet guide her accordingly, nose wriggling fussily as she sniffed the air a little wearily. While she knew the tunnels themselves, she didn't know who was still inside of them. And considering that she had gotten a ways away from the others, she figured she might as well consider herself to be a little more careful.

Nightflight gave out a heavy sigh, ears flicking this way and that as she listened to the huff bounce back and forth on the cave walls. The groan echoed around her, filling the once-empty place with its reverberation. She was almost thankful as she listened to it start to fade, the growing silence had started to unnerve her. But soon enough, the interruption faded as well, and she was plunged back into the quiet once again. She twitched crossly, rolling her sightless eyes as she forced herself farther along.

Funny, she thought dryly. She'd journeyed away into the tunnels because she had wanted a sense of peace and quiet. The horde of Night Furies had been suffocating, especially when they made a point to come over and talk to her individually. Their words were always the same: how they were wrong about her, how they were excited for Berk, how they wished her a better life now that she'd changed. While the words were meant to be encouraging, Nightflight could only flinch away from them. While they were meant to be encouraging or friendly, it only did the opposite for her. She didn't have to be reminded that all this was her fault; so she had slipped away when nobody was looking.

And now, finally getting the much-needed peace and quiet…Nightflight found that she hated the feeling of being alone. She let out another sigh, just for the purpose of creating another noise. Creating yet another barrage of noise, she put her feet down on the stone a littler harder as she walked. The stomps did little to create a very soothing noise - she wouldn't be able to hear someone behind her as well- she didn't stop. Trailing her tail to the left, she felt the wall start to slope over to the side, the Night Fury turning accordingly so that she could follow the path she was thinking through in her mind.

As she proceeded down the tunnel, Nightflight gave an uneasy mummer to herself as she let her mind flash back to the past events. Running through her mind rapidly, the dragoness reflected over how fast things had picked up since they'd come back to the Night Fury island. Thinking back to it now, she realized that it was kind of easy to have changed the mind of the others in the Pack. Of course, back then, it felt like they had to do every single thing in order to get them to turn around. But really, all they had done was use common sense. All they really had to do was demonstrate what was possible with humans.

And the dragons that had come from Berk were obviously happy with most of the Pack deciding to come back and join them. Shadowclaw had rallied up a large group of younglings with him last night, leading them away and coaching them eagerly on the benefits, fun, usefulness, and overall cute way of smiling. He'd been very serious, Nightflight recalled with a flash of amusement. While she hadn't been able to watch him, she could hear the firmness in his voice as he paced back and forth among the group. He'd spent far too much time among the others, stalling by saying things like: "Too wide" or "You're trying way too hard." And while it might have just been for logical reasons like he said, Nightflight thought that he had just said those things so that he could spend more time with the others in the Pack.

Mistyeyes was no exception, Nightflight thought with a flash of indignant irritation. The dragoness hardly made time for herself anymore; she was always flocking this way and that with the other Night Furies. The dragons fawned over her like she was some kind of savoir now, and the dragon was usually crowded over by her followers. Though it had only been a short while since they decided to join, the Night Furies were acting as though Mistyeyes had never left. She was still the perfect Night Fury she'd always been, and she was obviously trying to regain her footing as leader.

Toothless was still a little weary about the newcomers. He'd never voiced his suspicious or his thoughts outwardly to her, but Nightflight could tell in the way that he walked or spoke. His voice was oddly curt as he spoke to the Night Furies, but he was never unfriendly. It was more like the male was dealing with a visitor that never seemed to leave him alone, like he would speak to Shadowclaw after the youngling had been yapping for over five minutes.

The side was odd for Toothless; Nightflight would have thought that he would be anxious to catch up with old friends. After all, once upon a time, he had lived here and had a life in the tunnels as well. But Toothless seemed far more comfortable around Hiccup or Astrid than he did with the others, and she couldn't blame him for it. Despite the way that he lived here for years and years, he must feel like an outcast. He probably thought himself a stranger. And Nightflight couldn't blame him at all for thinking that way.

She guessed that was just another way she could relate to the male. In these masses of dragons, she should have been overjoyed. She should be yowling her happiness up into the air considering that nearly everybody had forgiven her completely for the mistakes she had made. But the triumph that she should feel was running dry. She had felt her brief flash of happiness, and she had momentarily forgotten everything that had taken place, letting the sun shine on her scales blissfully in the warm feeling of kinship. She'd forgotten the feeling of friendship, at least, she had ever since Hiccup had come back to Toothless in these very caves so long ago. Wouldn't it make sense to revel in it for as long as she could?

But she pushed the thought away quickly, closing her sightless eyes tightly as she took in a slow breath. She couldn't let herself feel happy…she _wouldn't_ let herself feel relief. She didn't _deserve_ anything like that. This was all her fault after all. What would be happening right now if she hadn't gone to Berk in pursuit of Toothless?

Hiccup would be back home with his friends and family, and his bond with the Night Fury wouldn't be so complicated as it was now. Mistyeyes would still reign true over all the Night Furies; she would still be looked up to and idolized because of her strength, power, and wisdom. Shadowclaw would be back with his mother, who he was avoiding at all costs right now. The youngling wouldn't need to hide away from his old family like he was some kind of outcast, clamming himself up whenever they came close. He could even be closer to Leafdapple, considering the way that he would have grown up alongside her. Astrid would be able to fly with her Nadder like she used to, and Toothless wouldn't be so worried about…well, everything.

Lives would be so much easier if she hadn't decided to stick her nose into everything.

She plodded on wearily, trying to focus on where she was heading but not really tracking herself as carefully she as had before. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts right now; the longer she took in getting back to the others, the longer time she would have to calm down. And she guessed that with her whole dilemma going on right now with her confusion over her powers, Nightflight figured the more controlled she could get herself, the better off everyone could be.

But as soon as the thought crossed her mind, a mummer of voices met the female's sharpened ears. She stiffened at once, raising her head as she listened hard. Sure enough, a patter of footsteps were making their way over in her direction, steadily getting louder and louder as whoever it was came closer. Hastily, Nightflight started to backtrack, nerves immediately spiking at the thought of interaction. She had wanted to be alone, and this wasn't at all what she had been planning. The tunnels had sounded like they were empty for the longest time; she must not have been trying listening out as well as she thought she had.

She considered doubling back to escape the prying eyes, but she didn't have nearly enough time to do anything but stand there and listen. And as the footsteps came closer, Nightflight felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as she realized there was no way out. Standing stiff as a board, the dragoness winced as she heard the steps falter. And by the sound of their footsteps, Nightflight could guess that whoever it was was just a few feet ahead of her. If she remembered the tunnels right, they would have just emerged from one of the branching passageways.

A tense beat of silence passed, and Nightflight swallowed nervously as she tried to figure out who it was that had barged in on her. She sniffed the air wearily, trying to concentrate. But the dragons' smells seemed to fade away in the clear atmosphere of the cave around them. And besides, even Nightflight had started to take on the airy sort of smell that the cave home offered to them. She doubted that she would be able to discern one smell from another anyway; she had been gone far too long to be able to do anything like that.

Finally, confirming her fears of who it might be, one of the dragons spoke up. "What're you doing all the way out here, Nightflight?" Mistyeyes's voice was kind enough, the dragon making it clear that she wasn't being harsh as she took care in softening her voice. Nightflight heard the dragoness swipe her tail neatly through the air, and she could just imagine the gray female sitting down neatly, wrapping her tail over her paws.

Despite the fact that the female was obviously trying to make friends, Nightflight scowled angrily at the comment. She lashed her tail, claws slipping out of their sheathes as she felt irritation burn through her scales. "You think just because I can't see, I'm helpless?" She snapped, thought her voice lacked her old kind of fury that it used to hold. Toothless, who stood awkwardly on Mistyeyes's right side, twitched oddly at the female's tone. It was like Nightflight was wishing to be angry, but just didn't have the strength anymore to convey her feelings. It was hollowly angry, like a roar that didn't have an echo to it.

Mistyeyes started at the response, eyes widening a fraction at the harsh words. "Of course I don't." She said, tilting her head to the side and looking at Nightflight curiously. "I just meant that it surprised me, that's all. I thought you were told by Hiccup that you should go and talk to everyone in the crowd." She inclined her head to the tunnel that Nightflight had come from, realizing only a moment later that she wouldn't have been able to see the gesture. Fumbling with embarrassment, and hoping that Nightflight didn't catch her blunder, she swept on quickly. "I guess you finished?" The question had an awkward sort of ring to it, Mistyeyes wincing a little as Nightflight soured at it.

"Yes, I did." She said stiffly, still bristling. "I came out here to get some peace and quiet."

Mistyeyes shuffled her paws, glancing over at Toothless a little desperately. But the Night Fury only shook his head, not wanting to get in the middle of them two. He only stood a little closer to the gray-scaled dragon, flashing Nightflight a slightly reproachful look, as if she could see it. Casting Toothless a slightly frustrated look, Mistyeyes cleared her throat before turning back to the black dragoness in front of her. "Well…you must have some other reason for coming out here." She mumbled. "After all - we're going to leave soon. Why risk being left behind just for some kind of calm moment that you're obviously not going to get?"

Nightflight's eyes hardened, but she grumbled out after a heartbeat: "I'm looking for someone."

At this, Mistyeyes straightened. "Really?" She asked suddenly, blue eyes lighting up with a small spark of interest.

Toothless looked over at her quickly, trying to shush her with the expression he shot her way. It wasn't like he didn't like Nightflight…okay, it wasn't the _whole _reason. He wanted to be alone with Mistyeyes for a while, just like Nightflight wanted to be alone with herself. Pretty soon, they would leave the island for Berk, and then they would be _forced _to be with all the other dragons all the time. They would have to go around the crowd looking for injuries or problems, they'd have to crowd together at night and sleep with the others, and they might even have to go and answer questions ,or be with the Pack members one-on-one sometimes.

When they left this island, there would be little chance for personal moments. And while the thought was a little off-topic considering that they had a big issue at hand right now…Toothless just wanted to take opportunities while they were here. They might not get any more. Or whatever ones would come there way, it'd only be for a short while. Responsibilities and duties would stand in their way, and while Toothless wasn't complaining about that part, he knew it would be tough going. He wanted to make sure that Mistyeyes was okay before they had to get moving.

He couldn't do that if the gray dragon was so intent on talking to Nightflight.

The dragon in question gave a hesitant nod in Mistyeyes's general direction. "Yeah." She said, voice a little clipped. She shifted, wings twitching a little uneasily at her side. "The ones that rejected our offer when we all voted." She clarified after a moment, Mistyeyes tilting her head to the side with confusion at the statement. "I think they should get another chance to think it over. I wanna make sure no dragon regrets the choice they made. Better to ask one more time and get rejected rather than leave and…never know." Her voice tapered off a little at the end, the dragoness wilting somewhat as her shoulders drooped.

Mistyeyes blinked thoughtfully for a moment or two, mulling it over in her head. "I see." She said finally, blinking rapidly as she straightened. She turned over to Toothless, a hint of determination settling in her eyes. "Nightflight's got the right idea, I think." She said, confirming Toothless's inward dreading as she nodded firmly to herself. But before the male could reply, Mistyeyes turned back to Nightflight, hesitating for a moment before branching out. "Er…could we come with you?" She asked.

Immediately, Nightflight went rigid once more. She looked like she was about to consider clawing off the female's ears, but Mistyeyes pressed forward quickly. "Hiccup told us to take role before we gave the all-clear to leave." She said, voice harder now as she narrowed her eyes. Toothless eyed her with slight disbelief; why was she so fixed on being with Nightflight? It was more than obvious she'd rather not have their company. "And besides, if they get hostile, you'll need more people with you."

Nightflight fumed angrily, glowering in their direction as she didn't reply. But then she growled, stalking past them expertly as she started back into the tunnel behind the two. "Fine." She growled over her shoulder, not even glancing back at the two Night Furies as she plunged down the corridor. Mistyeyes leapt to her feet, turning around swiftly as she tried to catch up to dragon.

"C'mon!" She called back to Toothless. The Night Fury was beside himself with irritation, fuming underneath his scales as he wore a frustrated grimace. But as Mistyeyes slapped him on shoulder with her tail, he turned with a small sigh. Following after the two females with a resigned expression on his face, already hearing Mistyeyes before he caught up to them.

The gray dragoness had fallen into step beside Nightflight, blue eyes inquisitive as she looked the girl up and down. Nightflight was obviously more than aware of the gaze trained on her, twitching every so often as she gave another bad-tempered scowl. But the moodiness obviously did little to put off Mistyeyes, and not for the first time did Toothless wonder what was in her head.

Obviously, Nightflight was wondering the same thing. "What?" She spat crossly.

Toothless drew himself up quickly, eyes narrowing as he readied to spring to Mistyeyes's defense. But his friend spoke up before he could, reaching out and placing her tail comfortingly on his side before he could say anything. She flicked her ears dismissively, letting go of her hostility as she calmed down before replying. "Nothing." She said, voice easy as she went on after a moment's pause. "I was just thinking about how impressive you are." Nightflight perked at this, shooting her a look between anger and surprise. "It must not have been easy, after all. Loosing your sight and everything." She paused, hissing lowly as she swerved around a rock that was jutting out of the cave wall. Toothless bumped into her as he tried to avoid the obstruction as well, and it took a while for the female to right herself. "…But you seem to have adjusted really well." She concluded, a little breathless by now.

Nightflight flicked an ear, sightless eyes going over and training so squarely on her, that Mistyeyes had to stop and remind herself that she couldn't really see. The dragon took her time in replying, mulling over her response before she did anything else. And when she replied, her voice was low and muffled. Mistyeyes would have to strain to hear the emotion that lied underneath. "Thank you." She said curtly, mumbling as she looked straight forward once again.

"…How'd you do it?" She pressed, looking at her curiously.

Nightflight sighed silently at the question, closing her eyes and shaking her head. Feeling as though she had struck a nerve with that last one, Mistyeyes's ears flattened to her head as she opened her mouth to apologize. But before she could even manage to get a single word out, Nightflight cleared her throat thickly. "It's not all that different." She said, voice still carefully guarded as she answered. "I just…adjusted." She paused, thinking, before: "The hardest part was when it first happened. It really hurt."

"I'd imagine." Mistyeyes said, eyes sympathetic.

Nightflight suddenly turned sharply, veering off to the right as she chose a different tunnel. Mistyeyes stopped, stunned as she looked doubtfully over at Toothless. But the Night Fury only shrugged; even if she was just wandering around aimlessly, they couldn't just let her go off alone. They had to follow her either way. Mistyeyes threw him an exasperated look before heading after Nightflight, realizing that the female was still talking. "But it's not like I can complain about it." She said heavily. "After all, considering all this is my fault, I deserved something like this."

"You shouldn't think so lowly of yourself." To her surprise, Toothless was the one to speak.

The female only shook her head. "You did. Why can't I?"

"That was a little different." He explained uncomfortably.

"And besides," Mistyeyes said swiftly. "everything has changed now. Nobody blames you anymore, so you shouldn't either. And just think: we're going to get back to Berk soon!" She pushed forward, bumping her shoulder against Nightflight's almost affectionately as she tried to cheer up the other. "You shouldn't feel so down, Nightflight! We've got a lot going for us right now! We'll get back to Berk and have the humans welcome us with open arms! We'll show all the other Night Furies that are willing to change how great it can be there, and everything will work out."

"You seem awfully sure of yourself." Nightflight commented, choosing out another tunnel mid-sentence.

Mistyeyes paused, watching the female skeptically before following her a little reluctantly. "…well…yeah." She agreed, glancing over her shoulder as they left the passageway for another. She pushed the thought away quickly though, deciding that them wandering around wouldn't be too much of a speed bump. After all, they probably had plenty of time before they were supposed to leave for Berk. And it wasn't like Hiccup would leave without them. "Someone has to be. And it's not just for show, either." She went on firmly, eyes narrowing. "I'll do anything it takes to make sure that we succeed with what we're trying to do."

Nightflight wasn't impressed. "Sometimes 'anything' doesn't cut it." She murmured softly.

She turned once again, picking out yet another tunnel. By now, Toothless lost his patience. "Do you even know where you're going?" He demanded, voice filled to the brim with anxious irritation. "We can't afford to get lost now, Hiccup was just starting to call everyone together when we left!" Mistyeyes looked back at him, eyes growing considerably larger as she realized he was right. They hadn't had a lot of time to begin with when they left. How much did they have left now?

But the dragon in question barely even twitched at the question. She flicked her tail dismissively at the question. "Of course I know where I'm going, fire-brain!" She snapped, proving her point as she started to quicken her pace. "I don't need to see to know where I'm going! I've lived in these tunnels my entire life, I know them like the back of my claw." She drew herself up, looking very confident as she changed directions yet again. Mistyeyes and Toothless were struggling to keep up by now. "I know exactly where I'm going." Nightflight growled touchily.

Mistyeyes was even more shocked by this. "That's amazing!" She gasped.

"Not really." Nightflight replied shortly. "It's just memory."

The pale dragon became quiet for a moment, taking to plodding along in silence. Toothless walked closely by her side, scales brushing her own as their legs moved together like a mirror image. She softened at this, a ghost of a smile flitting over her features as she glanced at him. But she shook herself out of the haze, tearing her gaze away and fitting it back on Nightflight. She was really anxious to make sure that there were no hard feelings between them; now that Nightflight showed no other hints that her behavior might be fake, Mistyeyes was determined to become much more friendly with her. After all, none of what they had done would have been possible without the female's determination and sacrifice.

And after all she'd been through, Mistyeyes could think of nobody else in the entire world who deserved a friend more than Nightflight did right now.

"So…where're we off to?" She asked brightly.

Nightflight hesitated, once again reluctant to speak. "If I remember right, there's a tunnel right up ahead here." She explained thoughtfully, sightless eyes narrowed with concentration. "Fleetfoot really liked it when we were growing up. I wasn't as close friends with him as I was with…" She trailed off uncomfortably, blanching for a moment as she floundered. Mistyeyes grimaced a little as she glanced at Toothless, wondering if Nightflight would get too upset to speak. But the Night Fury picked up her speech before too long. "But he always liked to spend time here. I never really followed him in…actually, I think I made fun of him for being of on his own so often." Her eyes softened at this, voice becoming much more distant as she remembered the old days. "But he always told me that it was a good place to be. That it was a long way off, and that nobody ever really went there. Apparently there's a big hole in the cave roof. It was a huge space that showed the stars up above. Mind you, I think he just liked the place so he could sneak out through the gap."

Mistyeyes blinked, surprised. Nightflight must have fallen deep into her memories if she was going to start joking with her. Intentional or not, the tease warmed Mistyeyes from ears to tail-tip. The thought of Nightflight starting to warm up to her little by little was enough for now. And so was the relaxed tone that the female seemed to have adopted. Though she was still hostile and snapping, it seemed to be a different kind of hostility. Maybe a more stubborn one, one that wasn't really meant to harm. Or maybe Mistyeyes was just over-thinking it. "Sounds like you two were good enough friends." She hedged out.

Nightflight was roused out of her thoughts, blinking rapidly as she turned towards Mistyeyes. At first, her face was blank. Expressionless as a plank of wood. But then her eyes flashed, and Mistyeyes could have sworn that there was a hint of smile in her features. "More like accomplices." She commented a little dryly.

Toothless snorted with amusement. "You can say that again." He teased. Nightflight drew herself up, almost like she was offended at the laugh. But as Toothless went on, she relaxed, caught off-guard. "It's coming back to me." The dragon laughed. "I think you were the two that were always pulling pranks. Didn't you put a thistle in my nest that one time?" Mistyeyes bubbled over with laughter at the mental image, and Nightflight's eyes cleared somewhat. "Yeah, I think that _was _you!" He flicked the tip of his tail. "You were always teasing everyone, Nightflight. Especially me." Toothless added.

"I couldn't help it when you made it so easy." Nightflight replied, step becoming lighter as she joked along.

"Oh come on." Toothless said swiftly. "Mistyeyes was a much easier target than I was to make fun of."

"Don't I know it!" Mistyeyes exclaimed, rolling her eyes. She leaned over, ramming her side against Toothless's as she threw him a mock-glare. "Don't play so innocent. I still remember the times when you and Nightflight would gang up on me. I remember a couple of times when Talon had to step in and save me! You two were like the bane of my existence."

"Hang on, I think we deserve a little bit more credit than that." Toothless said critically. He turned, craning his neck so that he could see Nightflight over Mistyeyes's back. "I still think we're doing a pretty good job now. We're still keeping up that title, aren't we Nightflight?" The prompt came a little more quieter than his last statement, and his green eyes held a small trace of apprehension.

Mistyeyes turned as well, looking over at Nightflight and waiting for her reaction. It was obvious that Toothless had started this because he was taking Mistyeyes's lead. Whether or not he truly wanted to be friendly with Nightflight was beyond Mistyeyes, but she was glad that he was tying to lay off being so angry towards her. Being hostile and abrasive towards the female wasn't helping at all with the way that she felt about herself, and if they were always fighting, how would they ever learn to work together?

Nightflight never got the chance to reply. A yowl rang out around them, and the trio turned towards the voice, alarm flashing in their eyes. Aggressive eyes gleamed off to the side, and Mistyeyes immediately recognized the large, circular hole in the roof above them. Nightflight's hunch had been right after all. "What're you doing here?" The snarl came from the corner, and Mistyeyes turned to look angrily in the direction of Frost. As usual, the male was lashing out in hopes for a fight.

Nightflight stiffened angrily, but when she spoke, her words were calm. "Frost." She greeted coolly. Around them, Mistyeyes could see more dragons stepping out of the shadows, eyes weary as they looked at the group, Fleetfoot among them. Mistyeyes thought back to the way that Nightflight told her Fleetfoot had felt about this place. Did he tell the others that weren't coming about this place? After all, Nightflight had said he'd liked this place because it was so out-of-the-way. Maybe they were all hiding out here while they waited for the other dragons to leave.

"I asked you a question." Frost snarled. "What do you want?"

Nightflight bristled at his tone, but still, her voice remained under control. "We're here to make sure that there isn't anybody being left behind. We haven't left yet, and there might be dragons here they regret rejecting our offer. We came by to make sure that your choices were still set in stone. We're waiting to leave for Berk, and we would welcome anyone who decided to come along with us." Her voice was raised hopefully at this, Mistyeyes noticed. And she could see that Nightflight was searching oddly, as if she wanted nothing more than to see who was in front of her.

And that was when Mistyeyes realized why Nightflight must have wanted to come here in the first place. Connecting her frustration with the way she had talked so highly of Fleetfoot before, Mistyeyes came to the conclusion that he was precisely the dragon that she was wanting to come with them. He was the last friend that she had in the Pack, the last real friend, that is. And he was the last dragon she had on her list to try and make up her recent actions to. To leave him behind would be tragic for her.

Deciding that she wasn't going to sit by and let Nightflight handle it alone, Mistyeyes stepped forward. Her blue eyes flashed as she searched the crowd, and she turned over to Fleetfoot. Digging her claws into the stone and choosing her words carefully, the pale Night Fury spoke out to him. Looking around at all the dragons around them, Mistyeyes realized that there was a pattern to who was gathered here. They were either too young, too old, or maybe a handful of families that were expecting new hatchlings. Excluding the small group of people that were just sitting here for spite, most dragons were just incapable of following the group. And for a long time Mistyeyes had figured that Fleetfoot was among that small group of aggressors.

But her mind flew back to the scene that had exchanged between Fleetfoot and Nightflight at the Voting, and she realized that he was much like Nightflight. He was sensible, if you drew back the shades of lies that clouded his vision. He could make a change, just like Nightflight could. And Mistyeyes knew that was the reason why Nightflight wished him to join with Berk. Because she knew how easily he could be swayed, and she believed in him. And Mistyeyes trusted the dragoness's judgment.

"Fleetfoot, come back with us." She urged quickly, ignoring Frost's anger openly as she turned to look at the male. He straightened with a small flash of surprise at this, looking caught off-guard as the pale dragon dressed him straight out. But she swept on before he could interrupt her, determined to at least try and help Nightflight's cause. "I can see there's a pattern here of who can't go and who just doesn't want to. But I can tell that you're different from these ones." She jerked her head over to indicate Frost and his group of lackeys, who glared sharply at the female's words.

She ignored their glowers as best she could, but she could feel Toothless stiffen with anger at her side. "I know that you can have sense if you come back with us, and trust Nightflight when she tells you that you'll be welcomed in our group, no matter what you did before." Fleetfoot's eyes started to narrow, and Mistyeyes realized with a pang that she was losing ground fast. "We'll give you a second chance, Fleetfoot. Don't you ever look back on your past and wish that you could fix the mistakes you've made? Our group is _all _about second chances! You don't have to-"

"I don't _want _a second chance." Fleetfoot said frostily, eyes flashing as he took a small step forward. "There's nothing to make up for. Humans and dragons don't mix, no matter what anybody says." There was a hint of a snarl in his voice, and Nightflight's ears went down at the sign of anger, shoulders hunching forward already in a form of disappointment. Catching the movement, Fleetfoot turned towards her, giving a small sigh as he forced himself to stop bristling. "I don't want to go. Night Furies belong on this island."

"Night Furies belong wherever they find family!" Nightflight objected, voice somewhat higher than normal as she tried to plead with the male.

But Fleetfoot still shook his head. "Generations upon generations have stayed here, and I won't be the one of many to leave. We've always been here, and there's nothing wrong with that. Besides, there are a lot of unfit dragons here. Expecting…elderly…the much too young…" He paused, glancing back at the ragtag group behind him. "They all need dragons to hunt for them and provide for them. And I'm going to be one of those dragons." His eyes hardened. "I am a _dragon. _Not a pet. And I refuse to become anything of the sort."

Nightflight paced forward. "If you just listen-"

"Nightflight, stop." His voice was tired now, and he took a step back, righting the distance between them. "You have your choices…and I have mine." He blinked, eyes sliding over to rest on Toothless. The male tilted his head in confusion at the sight, and Mistyeyes made the connection with a drop of her stomach as she looked from Nightflight to Toothless, same as Fleetfoot. She opened her mouth to object to the thought, but the male was already turning away. "I gave you a choice a long time ago, after all." He said, Nightflight letting out a hurt noise at the memory. "You chose Berk, not me." He stopped short, glancing back at her ruefully. "I let you make the choice…now you let me make mine."

"…but…" Nightflight tried.

"It's okay." Mistyeyes murmured, knowing that she was probably making it worse by bringing up the situation. But when Nightflight looked up at her, her eyes were round with sadness, not anger. Mistyeyes glanced over after Fleetfoot, blue eyes hardening as the dragon turned his back on them. How could he look at this dragoness, who had nearly lost everything, and reject her last offer of friendship? Raising her voice, Mistyeyes called over, hoping that her next words would reach the male. "He'll realize he was wrong." Fleetfoot's ears perked at this, but he didn't stop walking away.

Nightflight only ducked her head, letting out a slow sigh as she closed her eyes. Not saying anything more in this cavern, the female got to her feet, turning around and walking heavily back the way she had come. Frost and his friend yelled out insults to them as they left, and Mistyeyes tried her best to shoo away the anger that boiled in the back of her throat. Toothless let out a low growl as he stalked after the pair, and Mistyeyes pressed comfortingly against his side, trying her best to calm him down.

"It'll be okay." She said, once they were well away from their taunts and jibs. "He'll come around."

"No, he won't." Nightflight sighed, pain and regret thick in every syllable. "And even if he will…it'll be too late."

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A/N: Kay! My sister is being a ((insert proper name for a donkey here)) and kicking me off the computer! I wanted to make this more detailed, and I tried my hardest to type fast but make no mistakes at the same time! I hope I did better than I thought, and I hope that you won't be mad at me! ((puppy dog eyes)) Totally not my fault for this, Kay.

This chapter was mainly so that you could see different relationships going on. Between Nightflight and Mistyeyes, Mistyeyes and Toothless, Toothless and Nightflight, and Nightflight and Fleetfoot. Next chapter things will pick up, and you all have to give me props because I just thought up a really awesome plot point that will come into play REALLY soon! ;)

PLEASE REVIEW TONS AND TONS AND I SHALL UPDATE FASTER THAN YOU CAN SAY:

…I dunno what you can say, you can improvise. Just review please XDD


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Just finished all my summer homework! And my aunt is coming over tomorrow, so I should try and finish this as quickly as I can…

By the way, any of you that have Netflix HAVE to check out Sherlock. Oh my God, my friend introduced me to it just a few days ago…biggest mistake I ever made was sitting down and watching the first episode with her. Words cannot describe. **UGH I JUST LOVE IT SO MUCH**. The episodes are long, but seriously guys, I love it so much. Searching it up and giving it a chance won't kill you, and if you watch one episode, you're hooked. Promise you.

_**Bold and Italics mean Astrid can't understand **_((Only when it's in her POV though.))

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

"You look like someone just put one of Gobber's smelly shoes in front of you." Astrid commented, arms locked into a firm cradle as she clutched Ludi close to her chest. She cocked an eyebrow at the boy standing beside her as she said the words, a ghost of a smile playing on the edges of her lips. Hiccup's deep scowl melted at the statement, the Viking giving out a frustrated sigh as he turned to face the blonde. The two were standing at the head of the Night Furies, having attempted to take role about five times. But they always broke off, unable to really take in everyone. Because…well…they didn't _know _everyone yet. A few minutes ago, the two had fallen into a grouchy silence, not speaking as they merely stared blankly at the crowd of dragons in front of them, unable to do anything.

"Where did they go?" Hiccup growled finally, glaring sourly forward as he once again swept his gaze over the crowd. "Right before we start to head off for Berk, and we can't find Nightflight, Mistyeyes, _or_ Toothless!" He thought that out of all three of them, he'd be able to find Toothless easiest. After all, Hiccup could tell that his dragon wasn't too keen on staying in the cave any longer. Even if he'd been born here, the Night Fury had adopted the firm habit of showing that he would only ever belong in Berk. It wasn't a bad thing, but Hiccup had figured that would just make him easier to pick out or to talk to since he wasn't busy with other dragons like Mistyeyes or Nightflight could be. Apparently the thought was proving itself to be false.

"I dunno." Astrid sighed lightly, shifting a little as she winced. She'd been holding Ludi in her arms for a long time, and her back was starting to ache with stiffness. But the cat was obviously content to stay in the girl's embrace, only snuggling deeper into the Astrid's chest as the girl attempting to stretch away the tense feeling. Scowling down at the animal for a heartbeat, she took a deep breath before going on. "I'm sure they'll be back soon." She offered, giving Hiccup a small smile which she hoped would help to calm him down. But he only puffed out his cheeks, putting his hands on his hips with a small shake of the head. "They know how important this is." She pressed. "They wouldn't run off to do something if it wasn't important."

"I guess." Hiccup conceded a little reluctantly. "But-"

"_**Hiccup**_**!**" The high chirp announced the arrival of Shadowclaw as he charged forward, Leafdapple prancing behind him like a shadow. The two skirted around the other Night Furies around them, calling out a few greetings as they passed dragons that they knew. But both of the dragons' attention were trained on Hiccup and Astrid, and they didn't stop walking forward until they were placed in front of the couple. When he did, Shadowclaw tipped his head to the side quizzically, Hiccup already knowing his question even before he opened his mouth. "_**What's taking so long? Why aren't we leaving yet?**_"

Hiccup scoffed bad-temperedly, rolling his eyes. He was obviously getting a little bit more than furious. "I don't know!" He blustered, voice rising into an octave of sarcasm. "Why don't you go ask Mistyeyes? Or Toothless? Or Nightflight?" Shadowclaw opened his mouth to say something in response, but Hiccup cut him off at once, not giving him even a second to start speaking. "Oh wait!" He cried, throwing his arms up into the air. "They're not here!"

"Calm down." Astrid shushed at once, turning around and looking at him with a small hint of concern in her blue eyes. "You're starting to get a little on the hysterical side." Hiccup huffed again, looking like an angry child as he slapped his arms back down for the second time. He eyed Astrid with a soured look, stuffing his arms over his chest as he rocked restlessly on his feet. Astrid's features softened at once as she took in the worried form of her Viking, and she gave out a small grin. "It'll be fine." She assured him, her voice leaving its hard edge quickly. "They'll turn up before the sun can even move another inch across the sky."

But even as she said the words, a pang of worry shook her. Already, the sun was high in the sky; it wouldn't be long before it would start to set. And traveling at night did little to help the discomfort of the journey that was pressing in on Astrid. She knew already that she would be expected to guide Nightflight in her flying, since the dragon could barely do it on her own. And while the other dragons around them would be able to see clearly in the dark, it would get certainly get to the point where she wouldn't be able to see an inch in front of her nose. And when that happened, she would be nothing but heavy burden on her back, useless to help in any way, shape, or form.

She pushed down the niggling doubts, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She couldn't think about it too much, otherwise she would probably combust spontaneously. After all, everything else was so crazy right now, surely it wouldn't get any crazier if she just suddenly burst into flames. And her inability to understand Shadowclaw wasn't helping her worries at all. She had come to terms with the fact that she was missing a lot of vital information because she lack the skill that Hiccup had. And while the boy was usually really good with translating, sometimes, like this time, it slipped his mind. "_**I think I Nightflight leaving through one of the tunnels. I think it was over there.**_" He jerked his head over to the side, Hiccup turning to follow his gaze with a worried look. Astrid looked after it too, but her gaze was crowded with confusion and frustration. "_**Nightflight might be with them.**_"

"Hopefully." Hiccup sighed, answering a question that went unnoticed by Astrid. "B-But what were they even doing in the first place?" He asked, concern spiking up a little bit more at the question. "What was Nightflight doing?" His eyes clouded over, the boy ducking his head close to his chest. His left hand balled into a fist, and he glanced over at Astrid, who eyed him with deep concern. "…I'd hate for anything to happen to her." He said lowly, the words barely reaching the girl's ears even though she was right beside him.

She shifted, moving Ludi so that the cat was in a more comfortable position for her. But obviously the cat was jarred, growling as she voiced her detest for her new perch. She scrambled, trying to get back down to where she was before, but Astrid only tightened her grip, ignoring her shrieks with a deaf ear. "I notice that you and her have gotten very close." She commented, tilting her head as she surveyed the boy's reaction to her words. But he barely even blinked an eye at her words, mouth only setting into a small, silent line. "…How come?" She prompted when he didn't reply.

He just shrugged, straightening a little self-consciously. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Because she caused a lot of problems for you?" Astrid laughed, eyes glinting with a hint of humor. Hiccup rolled his eyes at her, and the girl's laughter trickled away. "I guess I already know the answer, though." She concluded, eyes softening as she jabbed Hiccup in the side with her free elbow. He jerked at the contact, wincing with a very put-out look as he rubbed the injury. But the movement only made Astrid smile more. "Aw, c'mon." She laughed. "Lighten up. Actually, I think it's really sweet that you would forgive her like that."

"It's what everyone should do."

"Well, yeah, but you have more heartache than most people do when it comes to her." She pointed out. Off to the side, Shadowclaw had sat down, ears flicking a little awkwardly as he listened to their conversation. Leafdapple had stayed standing, intelligent green eyes not missing a single word in their exchanges. But suddenly she stiffened, perking instantly as she looked off to the side. The movement went unnoticed by the pair, but Shadowclaw blinked, turning around and eyeing the female a little oddly.

"Doesn't matter." Hiccup sighed a little carelessly, leaning over and patting Ludi absent-mindedly.

Astrid hummed in response, shrugging listlessly as she silently agreed. She was just glad that she had managed to get Hiccup's attention over to her; it always ended up infuriating her when he had long conversations with dragons without translating for her. It didn't happen very often, but when it did, the blonde couldn't help but feel very left-out. It made her feel like she wasn't a part of this cause, that she was just off the side watching because she was too incompetent to try and help. As the thought flickered across her mind, she deflated, a strike of sadness lashing itself across her face.

Hiccup noticed the sudden change in mood, perking immediately as his worries seemed to wash away. He turned, looking at her with a sudden look of alarm. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked at once, leaning over and putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. His touch was light and warm, something that would have caused Astrid to brighten. But she only shrugged, refusing to look at him.

Hiccup glanced over at Shadowclaw and Leafdapple, but they were both busy. They had gotten to their feet, eyes inquisitive as they looked out over the crowd. They were preoccupied, even if Hiccup didn't know for sure why. Clearing his throat, he waited for them to notice. But they were too transfixed on their target of watching, so Hiccup decided that they wouldn't hear him and Astrid talking. Or hopefully they wouldn't, he thought with a scowl.

"What's wrong?" He prodded, blinking with a rather worried stare as he poked Astrid's arm. The girl didn't react, choosing to behave like a child as she pretended she hadn't heard him. Glare deepening, Hiccup leaned over and poked her in the side of the head. Still nothing. He poked her head harder, finger bending backwards almost painfully as he jabbed it forward.

Immediately, Astrid let out a curse, head being knocked over to the side. "Hiccup!" She spat crossly, flaring up with anger as she whipped around, glaring daggers at the boy. "What's your problem?"

"Nothing. Just that you won't tell me what _your _problem is." He pointed out.

She let out a gusty sigh, throwing a glare over her shoulder at the boy. But she answered his question, shifting from foot to foot as she relented rather quickly. "It's not that it's a problem." She sighed, shoulders drooping at her sides as she gave a little shrug. "It's just that…" Her blue eyes flickered over to Shadowclaw and Leafdapple, a flash of regret in their depths. "I wish I could be able to hear the dragons like you do. Sometimes it feels like I'm not a part of the group. You know, because I can miss so much."

Hiccup straightened, blinking with a small hint of surprise at the complaint. Whatever he had thought was bothering Astrid, it clearly had not been this. Nevertheless, he recovered quickly. "Astrid, I didn't realize that it bothered you so much." The girl replied by giving out yet another shrug. Hiccup broke off, expression clouding over as he began to think. "Well…I mean-"

"What?"

Hiccup hesitated a moment. _I hope this doesn't back-fire on me. _"Well, remember when we couldn't find Nightflight before we started to fly for the dragons?" Astrid nodded, perking with interest. "I found her a ways away with Ludi. She was trying to cast the same spell on Ludi as she did with me, to make her understand dragons, you know?"

"Why Ludi?" Astrid asked, eyeing the cat oddly.

Hiccup waved off her question, not pausing to answer it. "She was trying to make sure that she still remembered how to do it. She wants to be able to cast the same spell on everyone else when we get back to Berk." He felt really stupid calling it a spell. But what else was he supposed to call it? He would ask Nightflight about it later, he decided. He felt like he was in some sort of fantasy fairytale whenever he said the word. It really put a damper on things. "So that she can tell her side of the story and apologize to everyone."

"But she doesn't remember how to do it." Astrid concluded.

"She didn't have the chance to test a person that could reply to her properly." Hiccup corrected. "Doing it on Ludi would be pointless, considering she's a _cat_." Ludi spat in his direction, ears flattened to her head with indignation. Ignoring her swiftly, Hiccup went on. "If you really want to understand dragons, we could probably get Nightflight to try again. But on you this time. That way, if it turns out to work, you'll be able to catch up on anything you think you're missing."

Astrid didn't reply for a moment, staring at Hiccup with a slightly blank look as she thought over the words. Her face was creased over with thought, and the Viking could almost picture the possible pros and cons rushing through her mind. But she didn't get a chance to speak before: "_**Mistyeyes! Toothless! Nightflight!**_" The loud yip caused both teens to turn at once, Hiccup looking excited while Astrid looked a little anxious.

Sure enough, the trio of dragons were slinking through the crowd, walking briskly until they were closer to Hiccup and Astrid. Hiccup's eyes narrowed as he took them all in. Nightflight looked as if she were a little disappointed, Mistyeyes flashing the female a worried look every so often. Toothless looked angry and irritated, a combination he was unfortunately common with him by now. His wings twitched at his sides, like he was anxious to be off, and his steps were a little heavier than they were normally. "What's wrong?" Hiccup asked immediately.

Mistyeyes was first to answer, cutting off Toothless as the dragon opened his mouth with a very furious expression. She swept her tail forward, clamping it tightly over the male's mouth before he could start yelling. He flashed her a sour look, green orbs flashing with anger. But Mistyeyes's attention was fixed squarely on Hiccup. "We all went to the far end of the cave." She explained, looking a little guilty suddenly, as if she just realized how long they had been. "We all figured that we would go to the dragons that had refused our offer before and try to get their minds to change. We figured they deserved a second chance."

Hiccup let out a slow sigh. "Why did you think that was a good idea?" He asked, surprising Mistyeyes as she blinked rapidly. "I mean- it was a good thought, and you guys weren't in the wrong in doing anything. But you had no idea how those dragons would have reacted. They could have attacked you. And then, best case scenario, you guys would have had to fly with injuries!" He turned, pointing out of the cave and towards the sky. "We're already late, we can't afford any more delays."

Mistyeyes's ears flattened to her head. "Sorry, Hiccup." She sighed ruefully.

"It's fine." Hiccup huffed in response, still looked a little frustrated as he took in them all standing together. "At least none of that happened." He paused, then: "So I'm guessing that none of the dragons took your second chance?" Nightflight shook her head slowly, shoulders hunched forward a little more as she answered. Hiccup sighed, hands going up on his hips as he became quiet for a moment. But then he pushed the thought away, grumbling under his breath as he forced himself off the subject of yet another failure. He couldn't get every single dragon on his side, he was bound to know that by now. But still, the thought of leaving behind a section of the Night Furies rubbed his skin the wrong way.

"Alright then." He said, suddenly growing intensely nervous. "…I guess…it's time to go." He turned over and looked at Astrid to see his own worry reflected there. The shock of their task was now slapping them in the face, and Hiccup had to take a steadying breath before he did anything more. "Alright, are you guys ready?" He asked, addressing the dragons know as he looked back to them.

Shadowclaw sat up at once, eyes lighting up like the moon. Obviously he thought nothing bad could possibly come out of the end of their quest, his tail curling up into a tight coil as he beamed. Leafdapple looked almost as excited, though there was obviously a hint of doubt in her as well. Mistyeyes had a determined air around her, and she looked more than ready to tackle whatever lay ahead. Toothless stepped a little bit closer to the female, eyes narrowing almost angrily as his claws slid out of their sheathes. Nightflight stayed the way she was though: reserved, but not looking weak. She merely stood still, blind eyes staring straight at Hiccup as she flicked the tip of her tail.

"…Alright then." Hiccup said softly, clearing his throat as he turned over to Toothless. "C'mon, then." He called over, reaching out expectantly. Toothless straightened for a moment, looking confused. But then he realized, going over and crouching down in front of Hiccup invitingly. The boy slung himself over the saddle, Toothless stretching up to full height so that Hiccup could have a little more leverage.

Looking out over the Night Furies, Hiccup could see a few gazes going over to train curiously on him, but most hadn't noticed his new standpoint. They were still busy talking or running about in the crowd. He tried clearing his throat a little louder, in hopes that the sound would bounce around the walls and be amplified enough to catch stares. But still, only a few eyes. "Toothless, help me out a little bit." Hiccup asked, not exactly wanting to scream for everyone to pay attention to him.

"Sure." Toothless agreed instantly, a little bit of mischief coming into his eyes. Hiccup stiffened at the look, flaring up immediately. But Toothless was acting before he could say anything, sucking in a deep breath. It held the same whooshing noise that Hiccup was painfully familiar to.

"Toothless, please don't." He sighed wearily.

Toothless didn't answer him, drawing himself up before letting out his breath in a huge gust of wind. "Alright, fine." Hiccup growled angrily, posture stooping forward as he glared after the blast. "Okay, let's do that." A purple flare shot forward, shooting out over the crowd and exploding near the back in a shower of sparks. Hiccup deadpanned watching the flame, allowing himself a small hint of relief at the fact that it didn't smash into any cave walls. If it had, it might have caused the whole cave to collapse on itself. But then again, Toothless would never be so foolish as to let something like that happen. But even if he knew what he was doing, it was still a little risky. And all to just call attention to themselves.

Well, at least it worked. And worked was an understatement. Every single pair of eyes were trained on the group at the front now, the roar of conversation coming to an abrupt halt at once. Nobody spoke, and nobody moved as they stared expectantly at Hiccup. Some even held a trace of surprised fear in their eyes, and Hiccup winced. He hadn't meant to frighten them; that was the last thing he would have wanted. "…Hi." He began a little awkwardly, shifting uneasily on Toothless's saddle. His dragon responded with a sharp growl, glaring up at the boy a little bad-temperedly. "Sorry." Hiccup hissed down at him. "It wasn't my fault you nearly _destroyed _the cave."

"I didn't _destroy _it." Toothless snapped. "I merely grazed it."

"You're insufferable."

"I-"

"Alright then!" Mistyeyes called, kinking her tail over her back as she paced forward. At the sound of her voice, everyone turned to her, eyes flashing in the light that streamed in from outside. The female had their undivided attention now, Nightflight twitching a little irritably at the fact. But the movement went unnoticed by most; everyone was too focused in on Mistyeyes now. "Now, if you will all listen in, we'll be able to take off pretty soon!"

A ripple of excitement passed over the crowd, and Mistyeyes could see a few dragons already leaping to their feet. At least they weren't as scared as they were, she reflected quietly. Which was good, of course. But Toothless's words rang in her head like an echo. _What if it doesn't hold? _She shook her head mentally, clearing her thoughts as best she could manage. "Well, this is what we were thinking." She turned fully, surveying the crowd with a trained eye. "Dragons with younglings will travel nearest to the middle. Whether or not the youngling are flying on their own, or clinging to your backs, you all need to be in the center. That way, if something goes wrong, you'll have help immediately. Same with elders or those who are getting older."

She flicked her tail, thoughts running like ants through her mind. "Those who are fittest will have two choices on where to fly. You can either make a circle around the elders or the parents, so that you can help them if they need it. Or you can fly near the edges, so that you can look out for everyone but also look out for danger or nearby islands to rest on for the night." A few dragons looked confused at the set of directions, glances exchanged here and there as mummers floated around the cavern.

Hiccup caught the looks, eyes slightly narrowing. "Don't forget," He called out, getting over his bout of nerves as his voice rang out over the stones and rocks. "we're all in this together now. Nobody gets left behind, and nobody gets forgotten. We're going to travel as one, or not at all. So that means if even the smallest hatchling falls or loses ground, we lose it too. Is that understood?" Mistyeyes turned at this, blinking with faint surprise at the powerful tone in the boy's voice.

It used to be that it wasn't common for Hiccup to show the fact that he was going to be chief one day. If the scene ever occurred, it was usually short or a little held-back. But nowadays, it seemed to be as if he were embracing that side of him. He held an air of authority much like Mistyeyes used to have, and she realized that she felt a small flash of respect for him now. Of course, she always appreciated him. But she never really stopped to think about how much he had grown. The first time she had seen him, he'd seemed very small, crouching in the snow as he cowered behind the aggressive Toothless, allowing him to protect him. Now, Hiccup had proved to be able to take care of himself. He was stronger and brighter, green eyes filled to the brim with intelligence and strength. It almost wasn't the same boy.

When the dragons nodded in agreement with his words, Hiccup nodded once. "Alright." He said firmly, patting Toothless's side. The dragon responded to the touch, turning around and starting out from the cave's entrance. Hiccup glanced back over his shoulder, realizing that the others hadn't caught on. "Let's go down to the shore." He called back to them. "Then we can really focus on our arrangement. I wanna make sure that it's well-known before we take off!"

At once, the cavern burst with activity. Friends turned to one another, wide-eyed and excited. Conversations burst out like a blast of thunder, and some dragons immediately shot into the air, pelting out of the cave like they were on fire. Mistyeyes watch with a clouded gaze, tail drooping slightly as her ears flattened. A voice by her ear startled her, the female stiffening at once as she whirled around. Nightflight stood close to her shoulder, Mistyeyes hadn't even noticed the dragoness approaching. "Why are you so disappointed?" She asked, tipping her head to the side.

The pale dragon blanched, eyes wide as she stared blankly at the blinded dragoness. Her mouth was halfway open, but words refused to grace her tongue, or even begin to form at all. Part of it was because Mistyeyes was so surprised that Nightflight was actually starting the conversation. Usually when Mistyeyes was even around her, the female immediately soured. She would slowly morph into that of a rain cloud, and she would proceed to look out for someone to rain on. So for Nightflight to come right up to her and begin their exchanged was odd.

But she knew that wasn't the whole reason for her inability to reply. The question was a hard one at best, and she didn't know how to reply to it. After all, she didn't really know the answer to the question either. Toothless had planted the seedling of doubt in her mind, and now she was letting it grow without knowing. She knew these dragons, she had grown up with them after all. She knew that they were easy to influence, but she also knew that they would stick with what was given to them. They weren't mindless, they could think for themselves. They weren't just following for the sake of following. They truly thought this must be the right choice.

So why was she so worried about it?

"…Disappointed?" She repeated, stalling. She glanced over at the crowd, blinking slowly at their enthusiasm and excitement. Nearly every dragon had either left the cave, or in the middle of leaving. Shadowclaw and Leafdapple were nowhere to be seen, and Astrid stood tensely by Nightflight's side, waiting with an anxious look. Her blue eyes were clouded with confusion and also a strong amount of anger at the same time. She almost looked the same as Mistyeyes felt. The pale dragon turned back to Nightflight. "I'm not disappointed."

Nightflight's ear flicked. "A dragon a mile away could have heard your tail hit the ground."

"…Okay, so maybe I am a little." She confessed heavily, looking away and back over to the cavern. It was nearly empty now. It had been abandoned by the other dragons, and now displayed itself as an empty husk of something that once was great. How many times had Mistyeyes walked these tunnels? How many times had she played in the cave's depths. And now it was soon to be nothing more than a memory. "I thought…I thought when we finally accomplished what we set out to do…I thought I would feel happy."

"And you don't?" Nightflight questioned.

"Happy doesn't really describe what I'm feeling." Mistyeyes mumbled, sitting down with a heavy thump on the ground. She looked down, studying her paws and flexing her claws in and out a little reflexively. "Maybe more like…anxious. Or…scared."

"It's natural. I'd be concerned if you _weren't _scared."

"But it's more than that." She pressed, beginning to feel a little exasperated. "I feel like we're missing something. A huge piece of information that we didn't notice before. And I feel like leaving now…so soon…we might…" She broke off a little guiltily, taking in a deep breath. "I shouldn't doubt them, but I do. And it just started right now. Toothless said something about it and now I can't stop wondering if he was right." She looked over to Nightflight, searching the female's blind gaze. "Are we right to do this? It's all happening so fast…what if-" She wasn't able to finish.

"It'll be fine." Nightflight assured her. "You need to think how you want to think. Not how someone else tells you to think. After all, you know what's best for yourself. If Toothless wants to be wary of everyone else around him, that's his problem, not your's." Mistyeyes blinked, looking a her a little differently now. "You can't worry about everyone, Mistyeyes. How about you just worry about yourself this time around? You're not responsible for everyone."

"I know, sometimes I just forget it." She huffed, looking away.

Nightflight stood up, drawing her tail forward and brushing her shoulder with it a little briskly. "C'mon." She said, already turning around so that Astrid could get on her back. "We're losing daylight, and since we took so long in getting here, we don't have a lot of it left."

"…I suppose." The pale dragon turned, following her. Astrid had slung herself across Nightflight's back, gripping the dragon tightly as they made for the exit. Mistyeyes hopped after, feeling a small twinge of nervousness at the fact that they were holding everyone back yet again. "I hope Hiccup isn't too mad." She sighed softly. "I'd hate to worry him even more."

"He'll be fine." Nightflight assured.

Mistyeyes hesitated at the mouth of the cave, stopping short as if her paws were rooted to the ground. She blinked, watching as Nightflight started down the rocks without a single care. How could she be so keen on leaving their home? Hesitating a moment, the female turned, twisting her head around too peer back into the cave. She had lived on Berk for a few months now, but there had always been that small little voice in the back of her mind that told her that she would one day come back to the cave.

And she had. But now the voice had died. She knew this was her last moment with her past life. Once they left here, they would never come back. Her home, and with it, all her memories, were having to be left behind. She turned back around, standing still in the chilly morning air as she peered into the black depths beyond. Each rock, stone, and crack held something important. But hopefully the place they were going would turn out to be the same. Hopefully Berk would be there, ready to hold more memories.

She ducked her head, letting a small smile grace her features as she stared into the cavern. "…Thanks." She whispered. "Thanks for everything. I won't forget."

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

A/N: OH. MY. LAWD. MY SISTER IS YET AGAIN KICKING ME OFF.

I wanted to make this longer, really I did. THIS ENDING IS TOTALLY NOT MY FAULT. Or the typos. She's literally screaming at me. I should leave.

I guess I deserve it though. I was planning to finish it last night. But I was just sitting there and all of a sudden I was like: "Kat. It is ten O Clock right now. You can either finish your story and post another chapter...or...you could go watch another episode of Sherlock."

Naturally, I left to go watch Sherlock :3

...I'm so sorry XDD


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Like my profile says, Band Camp is making it kinda harder to get to computer.

But then again it gives me those moments where I'm like: "Ow. Standing so still for so long. My bones. Ouch. I'm dying. I can't- wait a minute, that's a good idea for my story. O-o"

True story.

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

Mistyeyes paced swiftly beside Nightflight, ears perked attentively as she sniffed at the wind. It blew over the ocean, carrying with it the tang of salt. It made the air heavy with a certain amount of humidity, and Mistyeyes wondered silently whether or not it was going to rain again. She looked up at the sky, blue eyes flashing as she eyed the dark masses that were shrouding above. Rain wouldn't make their journey any easier; Thor knew that they could do with some luck right about now.

"You think it'll rain?" She asked, turning over to Nightflight with an interested look. But immediately, she wanted to snatch back the words, feeling a rush of embarrassment. She hadn't said anything to Nightflight since they had left the cave for the last time, and Nightflight had been just as silent. Mistyeyes had figured that dragoness would have wanted a bit of space, adopting the silent walk down to the beach. Up until now she was rigid on not trying to start a conversation with the obviously-irritable female. It slipped her mind, and now she was left wincing away like a wounded squirrel.

Nightflight's ear twitched, as if she were trying to swat away an annoying tic. Astrid sat perched on her back, the girl hunched over as she rested her elbows on the top of the Night Fury's head. Her blue eyes had been somewhat distant, but as Mistyeyes barked out, she jerked to attention. Astrid was now watching them, expression unreadable from Mistyeyes's viewpoint. She thought she had detected a small hint of sorrow in the gaze of the Viking earlier on in their walk, and yet she knew that that couldn't possibly be right. Astrid was never sad, Astrid was tough.

Surprisingly, Nightflight spoke up. Mistyeyes's attention was immediately shifted back over to the black dragon, knowing that she was more attention-worthy right now. Whatever was bothering Astrid right now, no matter how confused and put-out it made Mistyeyes feel, she knew that she wouldn't be able to help. After all, Astrid couldn't understand them like Hiccup did. If she even tried to get it out of her, Astrid would just think she was barking nonsense out of her. There was no use trying to comfort a deaf ear, and Astrid's ear was deafest of them all.

"I dunno." Nightflight sighed breezily, lifting her snout into the air and copying Mistyeyes as she gave a few experimental snuffles. Mistyeyes tensed, realizing a little too late that Nightflight wouldn't be able to see the clouds rolling in from the horizon. She wondered whether or not the dragon would flash out a sarcastic remark over the accidental jab, but if Nightflight noticed the slip-up, she gave no heed. She merely smelled the air a few more heartbeats more before finally drawing back to glance over in Mistyeyes's general direction. "Smells like rain." She commented, voice somewhat distant.

Mistyeyes let out a groan of disapproval, a small growl rumbling in the back of her throat at the notion of another downpour. It'd be raining these past few days, she had been hoping with all her heart that it would come to a stop today. After all, they were just about to leave on this huge journey, and she didn't even want to imagine how difficult things could get during a storm. The clouds had been unloading for longer than she'd like to picture, why couldn't they just give them these next few days of traveling? "Figures." She scoffed, voicing her irritation aloud. "The universe just can't give us a single break, can it?"

Nightflight shrugged as she walked along, tail whisking quickly along the ground. "I wouldn't be too worried." She offered. Up ahead, the rumbling of voices caught Mistyeyes's ear, and it dawned on her that they had come a long way. It felt like they had left the cavern only moments before, and yet they were almost to the meeting place. "After all that the Night Furies have done with deciding whether or not to leave…I don't think a small little storm would be enough to stop them."

Mistyeyes hummed agreement, unable to find anything but logic and thought in the dragon's voice. And yet the clouds hanging over them were a sickly shade of gray, and the pale dragon had to fight back a small shiver of foreboding. It looked like it held promise for a nasty gale, and even Nightflight's words couldn't put too much comfort into her heart. "Still. Let's just hope we can beat it out of here." She grumbled, words so soft she wondered if Nightflight had heard her.

But the black dragon gave a small nod, showing that she had heard the wish clear as day. She veered suddenly, skirting over to the side and weaving back to Mistyeyes's side, quick as a fish. Dodging around a fallen tree, Nightflight slipped around it as easily as if she could see it right in front of her nose. Mistyeyes stiffened at the skillful movement, surprise and admiration flashing through her eyes as she hopped over the debris in their path. "You're getting good at that." She puffed when her feet hit the ground. She picked up the pace a little bit, increasing her strides as the voices ahead grew louder. The others would be missing them, she was sure.

"So you've told me already." Nightflight said dryly, sounding almost annoyed as she bounded ahead. Mistyeyes's eyes narrowed at the dismissive tone, opening her jaws to flash back a retort at the uncalled for reaction. But as the black dragoness darted ahead, the pale female could see that her tail was kinked lightly over her back, ears straight up as her steps lightened into a bounce. A smile crept over Mistyeyes's face as she bit back the words, flattening down to the ground as she charged after the other. However much Nightflight tried to act neutral or uncaring, Mistyeyes's comment had sent a thrill of satisfaction through her.

They burst through the ring of foliage in a flash, coming out into the open and immediately coming to a synchronized halt. The Night Furies that had been milling around like frightened bees before where now seated all together, ears perked and eyes intent as they looked out over the ocean. The tension of concentration and expectance was thick in the air, adding to the weight of humidity and making it almost hard to walk straight. Every single dragon was ready and waiting, Mistyeyes catching on that they were all in the exact spots Hiccup had mentioned. The strongest circled around, and those who were old, expecting, or having a youngling in their wings were tightly knitted in the center.

Only the younglings yipped with happiness, jumping up and down with excitement as they got under everyone's' paws. Other than them and the mothers, who were trying to calm them down, the place was silent except for the mummer of planning. The group of dragons had changed from what they were in the cave; the dragons back then had been riled and impatient, itching to be off and hating the wait. Now they were ready to stop and listen, the full weight of their responsibility having now firmly settled itself on their shoulders.

Mistyeyes craned her neck, trying to spot Toothless in the crowd. He would probably be up towards the front with Hiccup and the others. _Do you see this change as well as I do? _She wondered dimly, instantly regretting her brief bout of worry and fear over possible traitorous actions from their group. Toothless had planted the seed in her mind, he had been the first to worry over something such as double-crossing. _Do you still think they're not fully on board yet? Or are you willing to give them another chance? Can't you see how firmly they believe in us now? _She shook her head slowly to herself, eyes flashing with something of regret. _How can we ask them to have faith in us if we don't do the same for them? _

Hiccup's voice traveled through another blast of wind from the ocean, Mistyeyes turning instantly to see where it had come from. The teen was leaning against Toothless's shoulder, eyes scanning the crowd a million times over. His eyes were riddled with concentration and thought, it was obvious that he was mindful of the possibly-short time span they would have before the rain came. Any hope of beating the storm would be to leave ahead of it. His mouth was moving, mouthing out numbers as he counted and re-counted the numbers that were laid out in front of him.

His expression was that of worry, and Mistyeyes gave a sigh, already knowing what he would say next. She turned, tapping Nightflight's side with the tip of her tail as she parted to go towards the boy. Nightflight started at the touch, turning after the tap and heading after the sound of Mistyeyes's paw steps. "C'mon." The gray female purred, feeling a flash of amusement despite the tense atmosphere around them. "He's going to freak out unless we go over to him. He's probably already lost control of himself." By the look on Toothless's face, the dragon was a little bit more than frustrated. Shadowclaw and Leafdapple were sitting side-by-side, glancing at each other every now and then as Hiccup continued to rant.

As they got closer, words slowly separated into a more sensible script, Mistyeyes almost able to concern one word from the other as they got nearer. "…ridiculous." He was growling, arms crossing over his chest as he glared over the heads in front of him. He looked like a child that was being refused to play with, angry and resentful as his lower lip stuck out into a sort of pout. "Where do they go thinking that they can do this? They've already been late before, and now they're doing it again. Can't they see the sky? It's going to rain! Did you hear me Toothless, it's going to _rain_!"

"I heard ya." Toothless sighed lightly.

But Hiccup was far from listening. "Obviously they can't see it where they are, so they must still be in the cave. This is going to set us so far back…can we even leave today? We're going to get stopped because Mistyeyes and Nightflight wandered off and we can't find them! The whole operation is in shambles! I don't know what they expect me to do! I can't even try and picture what they think is more important than being here and leaving on time! This is a disaster!"

"Maybe they-" Leafdapple tried.

But Hiccup cut through her words, probably doing the same as he had with Toothless as he completely ignored her. His green eyes had strayed off to the side, widening out as he caught sight of Nightflight and Mistyeyes loping over towards their clustered group. A look of shock flittered over his face, and Mistyeyes winced as it slowly replaced itself with anger. And as the two of them got closer, Hiccup stamped his foot into the ground over and over, spelling out a tempo of fury and impatience. The other dragons looked up, gazes almost apologetic, as if they knew how Hiccup was right now and knew they wouldn't get off so easily for being late a second time.

No sooner than they were five feet away from their friends, did Hiccup purse his lips tightly, like he always did when he got angry. His eyes narrowed into an angered glare, and Mistyeyes's scales itched as the gazes of the waiting dragons burned through them. They had an audience a ways away, and Mistyeyes hoped that Hiccup wouldn't forget that. "Where have you been?" The Viking demanded, throwing his arms out in an exaggerated performance of dismay. Mistyeyes opened her mouth to answer the question, but Hiccup didn't give her the chance. "We've been waiting! It's going to rain soon! We needed to get up into the sky, and you weren't here for us to leave! So why were you late?"

Nightflight spoke up first, the tip of her tail flicking in a comical manner. "Just planning our entrance." She said easily.

Hiccup deflated at this, angered look souring into a slightly more muted on. His green eyes still flashed as he glared at them, but at Nightflight's words, most of the edge was taken off. The blinded dragoness snickered at the response, rolling her scarred eyes as she went over to poke him in the side. "Don't worry." She said, more seriously now as the soft edge of her voice hardened a little bit. "Mistyeyes just wanted to hang behind and say her last goodbyes to the cave." She turned, turning over in a neat sweep and sitting down on Shadowclaw's other side neatly. Astrid slid off her back, landing with a thud on the ground opposite the dragon. "I figured she might need someone with her when she did, so I lagged behind with her."

Mistyeyes blinked, her own surprise matching Hiccup's as the boy straightened somewhat. She hadn't realized that Nightflight wasn't just being polite in making sure that the last member of the group didn't get left behind. Leaving her home had been a special kind of heartache, she knew. But she hadn't realized how much having someone there had helped. If she was on her own, it might have taken her a year to leave her old haunts and memories. Nightflight had been the one to drag her out in the first place; had she known that Mistyeyes might have had trouble if she were to be on her own? The female wasn't showing any special pride in herself at her actions, she didn't have a lift in her voice, or a spring in her tail. She merely spoke casually, as if her and Mistyeyes had always been close friends. Not bitter rivals or soured dragons that inwardly raged over the other in jealousy.

Mistyeyes knew that things were going to change…it was just stunning her at how fast things were actually going.

Hiccup looked from one dragon to the other, as if coming to the conclusion that this was just something that couldn't be helped. Something that showed not a hindrance, but a success. And whether or not he was aware of what Nightflight was implying to Mistyeyes, he shook it off quicker than ever. He shook his head firmly, waving the thoughts away with a brisk flick of the hand. "Fine, okay." He said swiftly, going along and picking up where he surely had left off before he had seen that Nightflight and Mistyeyes had been missing.

"Well, we'd better get moving, then." Hiccup muttered, craning his neck as he looked up to the sky. He had no need to screw his eyes shut against the light of the sun, for it was hidden away by mounds and mounds of dark gray overcast. "The rain will come any minute, and we need to get as far as we can before we're forced to find shelter. I just hope another island will come along before too long; we can't go far in bad weather." He paused a moment, mulling over the words with a worried grimace before turning to the close knit of Night Furies around him.

"Shadowclaw, Leafdapple, you two will take the back of the group." The two smaller dragons straightened at the order, Leafdapple's eyes shining with eagerness as she looked at Hiccup. She was the newest in their group -added in thanks to Shadowclaw- and she was no doubt ready and willing to do anything to prove herself to Hiccup. Something like this would be just what she needed, and Mistyeyes wondered if Hiccup knew that as well as she did. "Make sure there are no stragglers, and if there are, do whatever you can to help them along. If it's a severe problem, send a messenger up to the front where me and Toothless will be. We'll figure something out then." The pair leapt to their feet, dipping their heads in a polite gesture to show that they understood. But when they glanced at once another, their eyes sparkled with excitement, and Mistyeyes didn't mistake the happy skip in their steps as they hared off for the back of the travelers.

Hiccup sighed, part amusement and part exasperation as he turned to address the others. Mistyeyes purred, settling herself down beside Toothless as she leaned over ever so slightly, putting her head so that it rested neatly against his shoulder. The male's tail curled at the movement, but he didn't turn down to look at her. His green eyes were glued intently on his human, and Mistyeyes copied him as she did the same. Hiccup had grabbed Astrid's hand, pulling her closer as he looked at her importantly. The dragon's eyes clouded with confusion as she saw the same weird look on Astrid's face. The girl stilled looked put-out, looking tired and overly worn as she stood dejectedly at Hiccup's side.

Something was wrong obviously. But what? Did Hiccup not notice?

But the dragon saw Hiccup glance over between Astrid and Nightflight, as if thinking over something in his hyperactive brain of his. Had the dragon and the human go through some kind of falling out? She didn't think so; the pair had been together all the way down here from the cave, and they barely even showed a hint of anger towards the other. Was it something other than a problem? Something that Nightflight could help solve? Or something Astrid could help solve but didn't want to? It was a mystery to Mistyeyes, and she had to force herself out of dwelling on it in fear of a headache.

"Astrid and Nightflight, you'll be up near the front with me and Toothless. That way Astrid, you can help me scope out the fastest way back to Berk." The blonde nodded at this, crossing her arms tightly over her chest as she looked away. Hiccup hesitated at the movement, eyes flashing, but he swept by it quickly, shaking himself as he went over to Mistyeyes. The pale dragon perked importantly at this, leaning away again from Toothless so that she could sit up by herself.

"Mistyeyes, you'll sweep the edge every so often and make sure there are no drifters. Younglings just learning how to fly are going to be flapping around, and we need to make sure that they don't fly off-course. It'll be their mothers' job to corral them back, but we need you there to make sure they do it properly. It'll be a little bit more tiring, but you're one of the best fliers here, so it shouldn't be too big of a problem for you."

Her chest swelled at the hidden praise, and Mistyeyes hoped that Nightflight didn't notice. The last thing she needed from the female was another flare of jealousy to come from her. But Nightflight was busy lowering herself down so that Astrid could scramble onto her back. Mistyeyes felt a flash of guilt at the way she couldn't seem to keep worrying over Nightflight, but she brushed the thought away. Instead, she nodded to Hiccup, turning and poked her muzzle affectionately into Toothless's side, and spun around. She looped around to the side of the group, calling out greetings and 'Good Mornings' as she flashed past.

Ahead, Hiccup was calling the Night Furies together, Mistyeyes watching as they all stretched out their wings as he snapped them to attention. Feeling a rush of fright at being the last one to take off, Mistyeyes pushed herself faster as she made for the far edge of the group. Youngling whined loudly as their mothers fussed over them, correcting their take-off positions frantically as they became somewhat nit-picky. Mistyeyes could feel the flashes of indignation from the smaller Night Furies at the fuss, but she prayed that the mothers knew what they were doing. If a youngling went down along the way, she didn't know how things would bode. Not well, she could guess.

Finally skidding to a stop in her spot, Mistyeyes whirled around, puffing from her run already as she craned her neck once more. Hiccup had already strapped himself to Toothless, Nightflight and Astrid standing at their shoulders like a shadow. She could see that Hiccup was tense where he perched, and Mistyeyes knew that they were mere seconds away from leaving the island for good. The clouds overhead pushed down on them, and Mistyeyes felt a choking sensation underneath their black depths. The other dragons around her were tense, but not frightened or worried. Their eyes were full of trust and steadiness as they stared up at Hiccup, only a few reptiles glancing this way and that with clouded eyes. Flexing her muscles carefully, Mistyeyes took a deep breath, watching as Hiccup raised his left hand high into the air.

The others seemed to realize what this was, wings stretching out at once around Mistyeyes. Dragons lowered themselves down to position, and the pale dragon stumbled after them, copying their movements with a rather surprised look. She guessed she forgot the speech and instructions that Hiccup had given, her and Nightflight had missed a lot of important things. Feeling a flash of regret and hoping that the dragon wasn't too lost because of her, Mistyeyes gathered under herself before launching into the air.

Like a rising tide, the others followed suit, their wings catching the sea breeze at once as they angled themselves forward. With the aid of the stormy winds blowing towards them, the travelers swooped up high into the air, taking it rather slow at first. Through the masses of Night Furies, Mistyeyes caught a glimpse of Hiccup. The teenager was twisted around in his saddle, green eyes narrowed as he pointed this way and that, calling out helpful tips or telling others to move into gaps in the circle. The dragons followed his advice quickly, swerving to the side or propping up others.

Glancing over her shoulder, she could see that Shadowclaw and Leafdapple were taking their job rather seriously. The pair were sweeping in and out of the protective circle, righting others and pushing others to the side so that they were flying accordingly. Figuring that she might as well try to take her job just as seriously, Mistyeyes turned her attention over to the mothers and their younglings. Those who were old enough to understand could fix their flight pattern, but the younglings were just starting out wouldn't be able to tell up from down at first. Her center of concern should rest there.

And besides, with the way the clouds were getting worse, there was no telling how dark it could get. It was already pretty dim around, and if it got any darker, she was sure that a few mothers would lose contact with their young ones.

Her concerns were broken up though, a sudden presence by her side catching her attention to the side. A Night Fury suddenly swooped forward, taking place beside her as he looked her way. He had bright blue eyes, his scales a mixed color of gray and white. She stared at him for a moment, floundering for a name before she could finally place it. _Clear something. I remember him, right? Clear something, Clear something, Clear something. _Blanching a moment, she gave him a tentative smile. "Hello there." She said politely, tensing as she heard a small drone of thunder in the distance.

The male blinked, studying her for a close moment or two before attempting the expression. His grin was sloppy and messy, a smile that caused Mistyeyes's to only grow wider. Her attention was fixed fully on him now, his name flashing through her mind like a shooting star. _Clear _Sky. He was a little bit younger than her, though not by much. She had distant memories of the multi-colored male, things like training or flying for the first time. Maybe he was younger than her by a mere few months.

Nevertheless, he obviously remembered her. Which was per the norm, she guessed. Who _wouldn't _remember _any _of them right about now? "Mistyeyes, right?" He asked, though by his tone, he was more than aware of which dragon she was. The female smiled once more at her name, giving a nod of recognition towards him. "I'm Clear Sky." He introduced himself, confirming her suspicions. "I don't know whether or not you'd remember me. I think we trained together. For a little while, at least."

"I remember." Mistyeyes assured him quickly, not mentioning how vague the memories were.

"Uh, I just wanted to say hello." He said awkwardly, glancing around at the other dragons around them. But none of them were paying special attention to them, focusing on which way they were going and what Hiccup was saying so that they wouldn't get lost. "I thought it was weird that I never made a point to speak to you before, so I figured I would just come over here. For old time's sake, you know." He said the point in a laughing manner, and Mistyeyes allowed herself a small laugh along with him.

She was glad he wasn't serious, she was getting rather tired of having people look up to her. Funny, since she would have killed for the admiration just months before now. She used to live for the feeling of stares on her scales, or the way that dragons dipped their head to her as she passed. But now it just made her feel uncomfortable. She was much more at ease when she was with Hiccup and the others, lounging around or joking with one another. The life of a leader was something she was exceptionally good at…but as time went on she was slowly realizing that it might not be the way she wanted to go anymore.

And hopefully when they got to Berk, she could put the role of leader behind her permanently. Her as well as Nightflight. The Night Furies wouldn't need a leader where they were going, and they never would. The thought was comforting, and she allowed herself a small breath of relief. If everything went calmly today, and the rest that followed, they would be on a perfect track.

"Oh, I was just coming over here to offer something." Clear Sky went on, rousing her from her thoughts. She turned over, blinking rapidly as she titled her head to the side. The male shrugged, turning over and jerking his muzzle over to the other end of the group. "I could keep watch over on the other side if you want. I heard what Hiccup said to you, and I figured you might need some help. Even if you're a good flyer, I mean. I can cover the other side while you cover this one."

"Oh." She said, pleasant surprise flickering through her eyes. "That would really-"

"**Amber**!"

The shriek split the air like a thunderclap, Mistyeyes immediately jerking with surprise and horror at the amount of fear in the scream. Whipping around, Mistyeyes was suddenly buffeted over by a strong gust of wind, the sudden blow causing her to tumble backwards in a whirl. She forced her wings out stiffly, righting herself at once as she snapped her blue eyes back open. She spun wildly, trying to find the source of the shout. Her blue eyes landed on it at once, and the situation was registered almost at once.

Unlike the other strong fliers, one of the younglings hadn't been able to catch themselves before the wind came. Like a leaf caught in a whirl of air, a young female shrieked with fear as she plummeted towards the ocean far below. Her paws flailed wildly, trying to find some kind of purchase as the wind smacked her this way and that. She was falling at a million miles and hour, and for a moment Mistyeyes was frozen to the spot. But then she gasped sharply, breath catching as she threw herself forward. "**Someone save her**!" She yelled, the wind snatching away her voice as she streaked down for the small bundle.

Toothless and Hiccup were fighting their way through, trying to slip by the other Night Furies who were trying to get to the child. But there were too many, and all they did was get in each other's way. The youngling was falling fast, and Mistyeyes could see that it was barely old enough to walk, much less fly. Shadowclaw had been nearly twice this one's age when he flew to Berk, and he barely managed it himself back then. The mother must have been out of her mind to try and get this little scrap into the air by herself.

Eyes watering as the wind blasted against her, Mistyeyes swooped up and over the dragons that got in way, heartbeat racing in her ears as she raced against time, which was gradually slipping away from her. The frightened youngling looked at her with wide eyes, jaws gaped open in a silent wail as she seemed to lose the ability to voice her fright. She was breathless with fear, and Mistyeyes knew that she only had a little bit of time. The ocean was getting too close, she wouldn't be able to save her.

"It's too fast." She whispered, voice breathless against her windpipe. She started to flounder, swerving and whipping past others who got in her way. "I'm not fast enough." Clear Sky raced beside her, glancing over at her with a frightened look as he caught her words. A dead weight went down much faster than someone trying to get down there, she realized. Though the smaller dragon was lighter than her, she wasn't able to try and keep herself afloat in the air. She was way too fast for her, and Mistyeyes's wings slowed down numbly as she knew it was a lost cause.

"Too fast…" She whispered softly, eyes round with grief as she watched the youngling.

The mother let out another cry, trying to race down to her daughter. "**Amber**!"

Mistyeyes closed her eyes, flinching at once as she braced herself for the deadly splash. A fall like that would kill a youngling on impact. But suddenly a flash of black whirled past her, the dragon's eyes snapping open as a rush of air flew by her. Toothless and Hiccup shot by, fast as a blast from a cannon as they spiraled down towards the ocean. Mistyeyes leaned forward, eyes widening as she shook her head fast. They'd kill themselves in the process; there was no way they could reach her before the ocean did!

Hiccup tore himself off from Toothless's saddle as he stood, green eyes flickering up to Astrid, where she and Nightflight were hovering in midair. The girl had shaken her attitude from before, eyes round with horror as they tracked her Viking carefully. Hiccup nodded once at her, as if making a promise. "Don't be stupid." Mistyeyes whispered, watching as Toothless changed the angle so that they were flying straight forward. Amber was just about to hit the water, they would have no chance. What would they do if Hiccup got injured? Or worse?

Gathering himself up for a moment, Hiccup crouched, the other Night Furies immediately screeching to a halt as the boy launched himself off of Toothless's back. His arms reached forward, wrapping tightly around Amber's body as he held the female tightly over the stomach. He flipped around as he threw his weight to the side, making it so that he took the full impact of the water as he went over to land on his back. Toothless made an attempt to grab them up before either of them could hit the water, as if regretting their plan as soon as Hiccup had jumped off.

But they both disappeared underneath the water with a might slap, sinking underneath the waves in less than a moment. The choppy waters that came along with the storms was enough to shock Mistyeyes where she hovered, just imagining the difficulty in maneuvering the tides. She broke away from Clear Sky, veering down and going down to be beside Toothless. The male was readying himself to dash into the water after them, but she held him back firmly as she skidded beside him. "Stop." She whispered, blue eyes intently scanned the water as she tried to remember how to breathe.

It could have been seconds, minutes, or hours. But eventually, bubbles formed on the surface of the water, popping with a loud burst and signaling the arrival before it actually happened. Hiccup's head broke the surface soon after, the boy's eyes round with shock as he gasped in sharply, stomach heaving with the effort. He kicked out lopsidedly with his legs, unable to use them to tread water as he held the youngling in his arms tightly. He took care in making sure that her head was above the choppy waves, the baby wailing thinly as she continued to flounder.

At once, cheers and shrieks of relief rippled through the group. Mistyeyes was stunned, eyes large as she looked down at Hiccup. Toothless broke away from her, swooping down low and helping Hiccup back onto his perch he had before. "That was a lucky shot." He growled to the human as Hiccup placed that mewling youngling down on the saddle first. "We're not even a few minutes into the journey yet and you're already throwing yourself into the ocean. I'd appreciate it if you were a bit more careful."

"Well, I couldn't really help it, could I?" Hiccup puffed, shaking and shivering as he clambered on after the baby. "She needed me."

The mother dashed forward, eyes round with relief and shock as she nosed her daughter thoroughly. "Thank you so much." The older dragon breathed out shakily, voice trembling almost as much as her as she anxiously searched her child. "I don't know what we could have done without you. Thank you. Thank you so much."

Hiccup smiled at her, opening his mouth to reply kindly. But Mistyeyes wasn't listening. She turned, looking over at Clear Sky and narrowing her eyes. "Actually, I would like you to take the other side." She said firmly, surprising the male as he nodded reluctantly. "In fact, get as much dragons as you can to help survey the area." She glanced over, watching as Hiccup rubbed his arms roughly, wincing with something that looked like stiffness as he shifted wearily.

"Something tells me we're gonna need all the help we can get." She warned gravely.

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

A/N: By the way, I found it so funny that that one review told me to: 'Stop watching Sherlock and update.' XDDDD howdidyouknow? O-o

Anyway! Hopefully this if good! I'm sore. I'm tired. I'm up way past my limit. And this is it.

So I hope it lives up to expectations XDDD

Review and you'll have another update pretty soon! ;)


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! It was a really good lift from having to be in band camp all the time lol. It's nice to just kick back and type now, especially considering all this routine stuff I gotta do during this camp. Lesigh. Nevertheless though, thanks for holding out with me. I'm trying to get back to my house from band camp super early in hopes of updates, but you know, it gets hard.

And did I tell you all that I met Ludi the other day!? I'm serious, guys, it STUNNED me. I went to a farm with my three year old sister a few days ago to ride their horses and see their baby turkeys ((she was really excited to see the baby birds)). And they had this light gray kitten that they owned and they let wander around the farm willy-nilly. It came right up to me, and so I bent down to pick it up. And from my arms, it SERIOUSLY moved from my arms to my shoulder. And when she did that, the owner was like: "Oh yeah, she does that all that time."

I was like: "I have found you. O-o"

I have a picture; maybe I can upload it to Deviant Art later if I have time. It was just so amazing XD

_Voice of reason_

**Inner desires **

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

The rain drummed noisily against the ground, turning the once-dry and humid dirt into a slosh of mud and grime that clung to you as you walked. The wet earth was seeping into Toothless's toes, splashing over his feet and dying them a dark brown color instead of his normal black. He tried not to fidget too much, not wanting any more of the sticky gloop to latch onto him any more than it already had. The shelter he had taken underneath a nearby tree did barely anything to slow down the downpour that was raging around them.

The oncoming rain had proved itself to be much more of a problem than they had first thought it would be. Of course, that was to be expected; the journey was never thought of to be very simple in the first place. And with youngling and elders already suffering in order to keep pace with the others in their group, once the rain came, Hiccup had immediately ordered Mistyeyes to start searching for an island to rest for the night and wait out the gale. But as they all hunkered down for the night, Toothless had to keep himself from groaning aloud; by the looks of this storm, they weren't about to go anywhere anytime soon.

The Night Fury had taken to standing still underneath one of the less denser trees. He had been unable to find a shelter any better than this one, he and Mistyeyes had already helped the other dragons to find the best places to rest first. Putting the other dragons' comfort before their own, the group from Berk were left with the much more dingy retreats, the ones that let in drafts or buckets of rain. Even from where he sat, he could see Nightflight curling up alongside Shadowclaw and Leafdapple. All three were shifting restlessly, dark expressions of scowls written across their faces as they flicked away the raindrops that were getting through their bush.

Mistyeyes was nowhere to be seen for now, the female probably having gone off to find her father among the crowd around them. At the thought of Talon, Toothless's expression settled into one of more thought and concentration. It was odd, he realized, as he mulled over the pair's tight bond. Mostly, parents and children grew apart over time. Once younglings were old enough to leave the Nursery, the mothers and fathers acted just as sentries; they observed their child from a distance and nothing more. Night Furies were the strongest dragons in the world, so it was decreed long ago that young ones needed to learn how to become independent on their own once they were fit enough.

But Talon and Mistyeyes were polar opposites of that form of thinking. Mistyeyes's father was like a shadow, keeping pace with her with everything she did as he helped her grow up. When she stumbled or tripped, you could be sure that Talon would swoop in to help and prop her up. When Mistyeyes had trouble learning tricks in flying or hunting, Talon would halt whatever he was doing and veer away to help coach her through it. Back then, that was probably why Mistyeyes had no other friends except for her father. Actions like they were performing together was frowned upon; a Night Fury was weak if it couldn't fend for itself, and weakness was not tolerated in their Pack.

Parents and children went separate ways, it was always as simple as that. Even now, looking at Shadowclaw, who had started to show as much potential as Mistyeyes when it came to relationships with parents. The little Night Fury had seemed to take a liking to his mother, and Toothless had almost been sure that the pair would have become closer now that they were traveling. But he surprised, the older dragon, distancing himself properly from the dragoness like any other dragon. When he talked to her, it was polite and formal. It was obvious that the male was trying to make sure that he would get no closer.

Nightflight and Toothless hadn't made any move to find their parents either, he realized. The thought never occurred to him that his mother might be around here somewhere; was she watching him from the sidelines like she used to, or had she just forgotten about him altogether? Despite the fact that they were as close as the south sea from the north sea, the thought stung a little to linger on. He lifted his head, blinking through the rain as he tried to see through the darkness of the night. He scanned the dark bushes and foliage around him, but he couldn't make a clear image out in the middle of all this rain.

His tail hit the ground with frustrated huff, the male's ears flicking impatiently back and forth. He didn't know why he felt so disappointed. After all-

"Toothless?" A high-pitched voice snapped him to attention. The male straightened at once, ears perked as he looked down. As he came out of his mental mantra, the ache in his wings and muscles rushed back into his head, Toothless realizing what he had gotten sidetracked from as he looked at his extended wings. Underneath his wingspan, the group of little younglings peered up at him, looking like curious owls as they stared expectantly at him.

The little one that had spoken up first, the one that Hiccup had saved from her fall, flicked her tail a little impatiently through the air. "You didn't finish your story!" She declared, her friend giving her a sharp look that quieted her at once. The dragons around them were trying to find places to sleep; if they weren't quiet, they could wake the whole clearing. After having the children nearly wake up every single dragon on the island, Toothless had volunteered to give them a distraction. More or less, a story.

He had figured telling them all a tale would help to quiet them down. And since the mothers were also responsible for guarding the kids when they were in the air, Toothless was more than willing to take their burdens off their paws for a while. The parents had agreed pretty readily, and Toothless had ushered everyone into someplace that was a ways away, just in case they all decided to get hyper again. He must have gotten sidetracked thinking over what was going on, he'd blanched right in the middle of his tale.

Shaking himself mentally, and trying to remember where he had been, Toothless smiled kindly down at the little one. "Oh, I'm sorry." He said easily, wincing a little as the ache in his wings started to grow a little more apparent. Amber swelled up at this, cheeks blowing out like bubbles as she tried to mimic the expression he shot down at her. It was sloppy and a little obnoxious at the same time, he wondered if he had looked that way when he first tried on the expression. The others around Amber tried to grin as well, each having their own little comical slip-up as they couldn't quite get it.

"Alright… so where was I?" Toothless prompted, suddenly drawing a blank in his story.

"You and Hiccup were going down towards the island!" Amber squeaked at once.

"Yeah! And the Red Death was a tail-length behind!" Another little female squawked.

"What happens next! Don't stop now! What happens next? What happens next? **Tell us**!"

Toothless quieted them all with a slow nod of his head, a mixture of annoyance and humor rising up in his throat at their pestering. "Alright, alright." He said, successfully managing to cease their questions for once. They went silent, the only noise around them being the rain as they waited for him to start up again with bated breath. Feeling a little bit of their excitement, Toothless leaned forward eagerly. "_Well._" He started, the younglings craning their necks up at sharp degrees. "The Red Death was a heartbeat away from us, I could feel its huge breath on my tail! I was scared out of my skin -don't ever tell Hiccup I told you, of course- but Hiccup assured me that he knew what he was doing. And he did! He waited until its huge mouth was wide open, spinning us around right when it did. It was so close I could see right into its disgusting maw; it was like nothing I'd ever seen before! I thought for sure that we were going to be Queen fodder for sure!"

"That's so awesome!" One piped up with wide eyes.

"What happened next?" Amber demanded next, paws kneading anxiously on the ground.

"Did you die?" A small male pressed.

"Almost." Toothless said, trying not to show in his expression how silly the question had been. "But I controlled myself just like Hiccup said; after all, the situation was going by way too fast, I couldn't possibly stop and think out a plan like Hiccup was. So I drew up a huge breath, opened my own mouth, and shot out the biggest fireball I've ever managed! Right into the monster's mouth." Awed mummers met his words, shocked eyes fixed up on him cutely. Toothless flicked his tail dismissively, smiling despite himself. "The flame ate its way through the giant dragon from the inside, and he crashed into the ground in a huge explosion!

"On the way up, we crashed into the beast's tail because of my tailfin." He turned, nodding down to the red half of his tailfin with an inviting look. The children looked down at his, flexing their own experimentally as they did so. "Hiccup fell off of my back, and I immediately doubled back to save him. I did it just in time too; if I had waited any longer, we would have both been goners." As he spoke, a movement caught his eye, the dragon looking up towards the intrusion. Hiccup was walking away from the dragons, making for the short with an odd look. Like he was torn between sadness and thoughtfulness. Toothless's eyes softened at the sight of his human, but a question from below caused him to look back down, tearing his gaze away from his figure.

"Why'd you go back?" A little male asked, tilting his head as his voice was filled with confusion and bafflement. Toothless stiffened angrily at the question, fluffing up with indignation at what the child was implying. But there wasn't any scoff in the boy's voice, only a fuzziness of puzzlement. "If it was a close call in the first place, why didn't you just fly away?"

Amber was surprisingly the first to reply. She whirled around, baring her tiny teeth in what looked like a form of anger. Most of Toothless's anger faded at once at the movement; Amber had been head over heels for Hiccup ever since the boy had saved her from her fall into the ocean. And now her stubby little wings flapped wildly in the air, her already-high voice rising to a sharp squeal as she snapped out a retort. "Toothless saved Hiccup because him and Hiccup are friends, that's why! Without Hiccup, none of this would be happening anyways! The Queen would still be out there!"

Seeing that she was going to start waking people up, Toothless reached out with a paw, soothing the little girl and making her sit back down. She complied easily enough, but she still eyed her friend with a sharp glare, as if daring him to say anything against Hiccup again. Taking in a slow sigh and willing himself patience, Toothless looked back over at the one who had spoken first. "What's your name?" He asked invitingly, tipping his head to the side imploringly.

The male shuffled his feet, eyes downcast by now, as if guilty. "Flint." He mumbled, ears flat.

Toothless flicked an ear, grinning at his put-out look. "Well, Flint, that's actually a really good question." He stated, surprising the youngling as he straightened with a brightening look. "After all, I was the first Night Fury to ever look at humans and not think something against them. And I did at first. But Hiccup helped me to get over that barrier of hatred. After all, humans hated us back then just as much as we did. I helped Hiccup to see that dragons weren't all that bad, and he did the same with me for humans." He cleared his throat at the memory, looking up and over to Hiccup, who had taken to sitting down near the shoreline. "I went back for him…because I felt like I owed him for showing me what life really could be. And I still do…I don't think I'll ever stop feeling that way." He turned, looking at each youngling in turn now. "And hopefully once you get to Berk, you'll feel exactly the same way."

Flint looked subdued now, having such a thoughtful look for one so young. Amber was trying on her smile again, though this time Toothless wondered if she was actually aware that the expression had come to be this time. "Are we going to make friends when we get to Berk? Are we going to get friends like you did with Hiccup?" She fidgeted impatiently, as if she were just managing to hold herself back from dashing away to Berk. Her friend leaned over, clamping their paws down on her tail to get her to stop jumping. But she didn't tear her gaze away from Toothless at the contact, too focused to even notice it.

Toothless waited a moment before replying, considering his answer. "I don't know." He said finally. "Hopefully you'll do something of the sort. The whole reason we're going to Berk in the first place is so that we can have a better future than what it was back at your island. But…" He trailed off a moment, looking at Hiccup with narrowed eyes of thought. "I think it would be pretty hard to find another Viking like Hiccup. Hiccup is one of a kind."

Amber perked, twisting around to look back at the boy. "Well…then I'll be Hiccup's friend too!"

A chorus of agreement rose up around Toothless, and the male had to hold in another irritable sigh at their nativity. It was cute, so he couldn't hold back a small pang of amusement, but then that made him all the more annoyed, and yet it was cute, so… "You'd better be his friend!" Flint crowed as he looked over at Amber with flashing eyes. "He risked his life to save your's when you started to fall into the ocean! I think he'd be a little peeved if you _weren't _his friend!"

Amber fluffed angrily. "That was an accident! I thought I could fly good on my own!"

"Hush." Toothless whispered quickly, wings curling in with a relieved flash of relaxation. At once, the children cried out as the rain started to roar down on them, the shelter of Toothless's wings disappearing as he got to his feet. Stepping forward and nudging the flock of younglings, he said softly: "Away to your mothers with you all. It's very late, and that was my last story to tell. We're probably going to get an early start tomorrow, and your mothers will be looking out for you by now."

"Goodbye Toothless!"

"Thank you for the story!"

"See you tomorrow!"

The hushed goodbyes slowly tapered off into the rain as the younglings raced away. As they went, Toothless could hear them daring others to try and run through the raindrops, watching with an amused snort as each little dragon tried to do just that. They tripped and stumbled on the way back, racing the way they had come. Toothless watched them go, making sure they didn't get into any trouble. But soon enough they were gone, having disappeared into the darkness. Finding himself unable to watch them anymore, Toothless heaved a large sigh.

Wishing them luck on their own, Toothless turned, pinpointing Hiccup once more as he started for the human. He was sitting down by the ocean, eyes fixed on the waves that rolled forward and backwards in rhythm. His head was held in his hands, face slightly downcast as he looked on. He didn't budge as Toothless walked forward, and he made no move to start a conversation as the dragon sat down beside him.

Shifting a little on the rocks, Toothless glanced at Hiccup, making a move to say something as he opened his mouth to say something. But he bailed, biting it back wisely as he turned around instead. Following Hiccup's silent advice, Toothless studied the water that stretched out in front of them. It was still, looking like glass as it reflected the night sky perfectly. It was only disturbed by the pounding raindrops, the small drips of water furrowing the surface and marring the portrait on the surface of the water.

After a few moments of silence, Toothless looked at Hiccup from the corner of his eyes, a worried frown overcoming his face at the sight of the human. He looked sad. It was a simple statement, but it sufficed. Usually when Hiccup was feeling down, he'd try to hide it, coming up instead with a lot of jokes to try and cover up the fact that he really just wanted to sit and wallow. That was when Toothless knew that Hiccup was sad: the boy would start to come up with millions of (bad) jokes. But now, Hiccup didn't even attempt to bury the expression that was written across his face. He was just…sad.

"…It's beautiful." Toothless offered, suddenly anxious to hear the boy talk. But Hiccup only offered a small nod, the breeze rolling over the ocean ruffling the boy's hair lightly. Toothless's tail flicked, the dragon turning fully now as he looked at his human. "You should get to sleep." He said, not making it a suggestion. "Didn't you say that we were going to be getting an early start tomorrow? You'll be leading us; you're the one that needs the most rest out of all of us."

Hiccup shrugged.

Toothless snorted. "Well don't answer me all at once." He scoffed.

"…Sorry." Hiccup said finally, dropping his hands into his lap as he leaned back. "It's just…a lot. I'm in charge of all these dragons, and they're looking up to me. Like… they expect me to know what to do. And I should know what to do. It's what I'm meant to know: how to lead people. But-" He broke off, looking as if he weren't able to finish. But after a moment, he lowered his head, voice coming out small now as his bangs went down over his eyes. "I'm afraid." He managed, Toothless's ears drooping at this statement. "I'm supposed to become this person to look up to. Someone that has all the answers. And…I do have them most of the time."

Toothless blinked, tilting his head to the side. "Isn't that a good thing?" He asked.

"Well…yeah, I guess it is." Hiccup muttered. "But I just…I don't like ordering people around. Or making decisions. I don't like any of it, but it comes so easily." The boy's shoulders hunched forward, eyes going down sadly to look into his lap. "It scares me. I don't want to be like that. I don't want to be like…my dad." He closed his eyes, missing Toothless's own rounding out with pity. "I know I should know better. I shouldn't think that just because I dish out a few orders, that I'd be exactly like him. But…I can't stop it. Just being like him is the scariest thing I can think of. And that makes it all even more worse." He snapped his eyes open, raw with sadness and grief as he took to looking back out across the ocean.

His next words came out in a small whisper. "I'm a terrible son."

At once, a surge of rage so great filled Toothless that it nearly knocked him off his feet. But instead, he shot up, eyes narrowing at once as he took a step towards Hiccup. The Viking blinked, looking over at him with a look of surprise at the sudden advance. "What did you just say?" Toothless snarled angrily, Hiccup leaning backwards with a flicker of fear in his eyes. But the Night Fury only paced forward even more, eyes alight with fury. "What did you say?" He pressed when Hiccup didn't answer at first.

"I-I didn't-"

"Don't _ever _say _anything _like that _ever _again." Toothless growled through clenched teeth. Hiccup blinked rapidly, fear ebbing a little at this. But the dragon wasn't finished yet. He lashed forward with one claw, prodding Hiccup gently but firmly in the center of his chest. "Hiccup, if you haven't realized this yet, you're more idiotic than I thought you were. But you are an _amazing _Viking. You're better than Stoick, better than Gobber, better than Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Fishlegs combined into one! You defeated the Red Death single-handedly, you made sure that dragons and humans were friends with one another, and now you're trying to join a Pack of the most dangerous dragons into Berk for the safety and betterment of both sides!

"You're not doing it because it'll make the humans weaker to have the Night Furies, and you're not doing it so that the Night Furies can kill of everyone on Berk. You're doing it so that the people on Berk will be better protected, and so that the Night Furies can have a better life! So don't go thinking that this is some crusade to ruin peoples' lives, because you'd be wrong. You're doing something great here, Hiccup, just like you always do. And you'd better not forget that!"

Hiccup's eyes were round with shock as Toothless brushed forward quickly, nearly stumbling over his words as he raged on. "Stoick is lucky to have a son like you, Hiccup, and the sooner he realizes it, the better off everyone in the world will be! Sure, he can't see two inches in front of his nose sometimes, and he can be a terrible person once and a while," Hiccup raised an eyebrow at this. "but that doesn't mean you're going to be exactly like him. You have your father's _good _traits, not the bad ones. You're the best Viking that Berk has to offer, and it's okay if none of them realize that yet. All that matters is that _you _realize it, okay?" He panted, words coming out slower now as he drew to the end of his spiel. "You're a great leader, Hiccup, and you're everything that your father isn't. Don't think less of yourself, because you'll just be getting sad for absolutely no reason."

It was a few moments before Hiccup could manage a reply. "…You really mean it?"

Toothless growled crossly, leaning over and pressing his head against Hiccup's shoulder in a rough form of affection. "Of course." He sighed wearily, leaning back on his haunches now as he studied the boy fully. "I don't talk for the pleasure of hearing my own voice. And I'd never lie to you either, you know I wouldn't."

Hiccup paused a moment before: "I need to stop feeling sorry for myself, don't I?"

Toothless looked back at him, feeling a wash of relief as Hiccup cracked a smile. The dragon sighed heavily, shoulders slacking down as he shook his head slowly. "Yeah, you do." He said breezily, thanking his lucky stars that the boy seemed to see sense at his rambling. First Mistyeyes, now Hiccup. He should let his words get out of hand more often, he figured. It was a lot better than when he was thinking through his speech, that was for sure. "You need to see what's right in front of your nose too, it looks like."

Hiccup breathed out a laugh, rolling his eyes as he drew his knees up to his chest. Folding his arms over his knees, he rested his head down once more. Toothless felt a flash of worry at the movement, but Hiccup's expression was much more relaxed, as if most of his worries had been quelled by his dragon's assurances. "I guess you're right, though." He said in a small huff. Toothless perked at the words, ears flicking upwards at the mention of him knowing more than Hiccup. It didn't happen very often, so whenever it did, he was sure to cherish the feeling. "We _are _going to have to get up early tomorrow."

Toothless threw him a frustrated look, fuming underneath his scales.

Hiccup sighed, smiling once again as he shook his head. He leaned over, nudging his shoulder against Toothless's leg good-naturedly. "And you were right about the other stuff, too." He said lightly, green eyes softer now as he gave a small sigh. "I guess we won't know anything for sure, though. Not until we get to Berk. I guess all we can know a hundred percent right now is what time we get up and how long we should travel the next day."

Toothless flicked his tail. "More or less a hundred." He said swiftly. "More like fifty."

"I'm _trying_ to be upbeat now." Hiccup said slowly. "If you would rather me be sad again, I can surely make the fix."

"Please don't."

Hiccup rolled his eyes again, leaning over and pushing himself up to his feet. He cracked his knuckles in a nervous form, blowing out his cheeks with a held-in sigh. "Well…I guess we should both go to bed." He said eventually, suddenly reluctant to leave. Though his limbs dragged with stiffness and tiredness, the ocean was a pretty sight. Even if it was punctured by the rain, Hiccup wanted to stay out here longer than the storm, just to see whether or not it would truly look beautiful once the rain had passed. He didn't know why, but he felt the need to sit back and watch something for once, and not be the one at the head making it happen.

"Or not." Toothless commented suddenly, jarring the Viking out of his thoughts.

Hiccup turned, twisting around with a concerned look as he saw what was coming. Astrid was heading down the slope towards them, her face set into an odd sort of frown as she came forward. Her hands wrung nervously together in front of her, and Hiccup could tell by her step that something was troubling her mind. Something was wrong, and she was clearly bothered by it. At once, Hiccup's heart went up to clog his throat, a frown plastering itself on the Viking's face as she came closer.

Once she came to a stop, Toothless's ears flicked. Astrid turned, the blonde eyeing the dragon a little uncomfortably, as if she wanted the Night Fury to leave but was too nice to make the request. But Toothless got the message easily enough, getting back up to his feet as he flicked his tail in goodbye. "I'll see you tomorrow, then, Hiccup." He said, green eyes slightly curious as he looked at Astrid. The girl refused to look at him, but when the dragon spoke, she gave yet another deep frown. Toothless looked as if he were about to ask, but then shrugged, giving a parting nod to Hiccup. "See you tomorrow, then." He said, spinning around and charging back up the slope. "Don't sleep in tomorrow! And when you're tired in the morning, don't say I didn't warn you!"

Hiccup watched Toothless go, trying to suppress the small niggling sensation of irritation. But he had to admit, if he didn't have Toothless with him, it'd be like trying to walk without his prosthetic leg. And when the dragon was right, he was right. Hiccup was almost too busy sending silent thanks along with his friend, that he didn't notice Astrid as the blonde stared at him intently. He crossed his arms tightly over his chest, suddenly feeling a small twinge of nervousness as she didn't make any move to say something.

"…Astrid?" He prompted her softly.

She closed her eyes tightly, giving a small shiver as she took in a slow breath. "Can you promise me?" She asked haltingly.

Hiccup straightened, eyes widening slightly. "Of course." He said before thinking. He broke off, blinking before: "I mean- I'd promise you anything, you know that. But…promise you what…exactly?"

Astrid still did not open her eyes, as if unable to look at what she was about to do. "Can you promise me that nothing bad will happen?" Her words came out slow and measured, a light whisper in the rain. Hiccup didn't say anything, eyes wide with confusion and worry as he waited for her to elaborate. "I thought about what you said." She said, ducking her head low to her chest. "About having Nightflight try to help me understand dragons. Like you."

Hiccup didn't say anything.

"I want to do it. I'm tired of feeling like the short end of the stick."

"You're not-"

"Hiccup." She snapped firmly, blue eyes snapping open to glare accusingly into his green ones. The look silenced him, the blonde giving a short nod as he agreed with her silently. "I'm tired of being the one that everyone has to baby. Of being the one that has to be walked through everything because I can't understand dragons. I want to be with you, Hiccup. In everything. I want to comfort you and be there for you, but I can't if I don't know what's going on."

"….But…?" Hiccup guessed, still waiting for her to go on.

Astrid sighed heavily, taking a small step towards him. "But you said that Nightflight didn't know how to do it. Or…she didn't know exactly how she did it in the first place. I'm willing to try it…but…Nightflight has caused a lot of trouble with her spells." The comment wasn't accusing, Astrid was merely stating a point. A point that was unfortunately true. Her blue eyes were locked firmly with Hiccup's own, and Hiccup could almost feel her sadness, fright, and vulnerability. "I'm afraid…that something could go wrong."

"It won't." Hiccup said at once, unable to stop himself. He lunged forward, grabbing Astrid's hands tightly in his own as he forced her to look up at him fully. Her blue eyes were heartbreaking to look into, but Hiccup forced himself to do just that. He took a few breaths before going on. "Astrid, I already consider you a valuable person on our team, but if you want more, that's fine. If you're willing to do something as brave as this, then I'm right behind you."

"So you promise?" She demanded. "You'll let me go through with it? You'll make sure nothing goes wrong?"

Looking into her trusting eyes, Hiccup felt a small tremor of unease.

_Tell her the truth! What kind of power do you hold over what may or may not happen? This is a risk; Nightflight doesn't even know how to fully do the spell? All these things happening right now…they're from her spells. Are you truly willing to let Astrid do something as potentially-dangerous as this? She's the most important person to you in the entire world! Are you so quick to lose her? And if you do let her do this….are you really going to _lie _to her and say it'll be okay?_

**It'll be okay. Of course it would be, Nightflight knows what she's doing! And even if something does go wrong, how bad could it be? It's not like it would be the end of the world, right? It'd just be a: 'Whoops.' A simple mess-up of a spell, that's all. There's no harm in doing it; look at her, she's so upset! You'd do **anything **to make her happy again, right? You'd be heartless not to let her do this! **

_Don't let it happen._

**It'll be fine.**

"Yes." He said finally, voice steady as he looked at her. "I promise you that it'll be okay."

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

A/N: **Some people fall, some people fall apart. Some people fall while running in the dark.**

**Some people fall when they run out of luck. Some people fall, some people fall in love**

Fall - Cider Sky

Sooooooooo I'm tired. My first day off from band camp in a week, and I literally sleep for a total of eleven hours. ELEVEN HOURS. THAT'S MORE THAN TEN AND LESS THAN TWELVE, PEOPLE. THIS IS THE REAL DEAL.

I was showing my sister the HTTYD 2 trailer, and at the very end, I was like: "Wait for it!" And then Hiccup tore his helmet off, and I was like: "He's so attractive! I wanna MARRY that face!" And my sister just quietly goes: "If I was attracted male gender, I might indeed find him attractive."

Thank you, Lauren.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I haven't been getting as much feedback from you guys as I used to. I dunno if that's just because it's a new story or whatever, but I really miss hearing from you all! Hopefully this chapter will get more reviews. More reviews make faster updates! Cannot stress that enough!

**Read this before the chapter it's important: **This year my marching band is doing a show called: Back to Square One. It's all about going back to the basics and remembering what first got us to where we are today. It teaches that in order to reach the goals that we set for ourselves, we have to go back and relearn, we have to return to the past and take with us all that we know. To move forward, we must go back to the very beginning.

Remember that.

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

The day was gloomy and dreary, the clouds overhead obscuring the sun so much that it was nearly nonexistent. Berk was shrouded in tension, per the norm ever since word first spread about Hiccup and Astrid's disappearance. While the island was more than busy with battle-preparations and rebuilding, there was a certain degree of silence around. Filling conversation didn't travel through the adults to help pass the time, the only words spoken were solely to help with work and labor. The only real thing that friends and village mates managed was to throw each other looks of unease or apprehension. Even children had the certain air of silence even when they played, sad and innocent looks of confusion written on their faces when their parents told them to be quiet or to stop whatever they were doing.

Berk had gone from being a strong, formidable island, to one that was tense with both fear and worry. Every night the villagers went back into their homes without question, locking the doors and making sure the windows were firmly closed. The threat of another Raid was thick on everyone's shoulders, and the people didn't need another warning to hide themselves away. Last Raid they had nearly lost everything to the Night Furies, and now there was that possible chance that it would happen all over again. Mothers made sure that they were by their children all the time now, and vice versa.

The only people that dared stray out from the town after hours were those that were assigned to the search parties. The Vikings who had been elected by Stoick went out every single night, ranging farther and farther with each passing day as they tried to find the missing teenagers and their dragons. People would always wait for their return, for the sheer hope that maybe all their worrying and preparations would have no real point. After all, if the missing kids were found and brought back there would be almost no threat of more attacks.

But the party always came back empty-handed, crushing the peoples' last hopes for peace. But then again, it was hard to find hope in the first place with those wishes of coming back with Hiccup and Astrid in tow. So many rumors had spread throughout the village, that nobody really did know for sure what the true story was. Hiccup had left Berk with the Night Furies because he knew something that no other person did, only taking along his closest friend to escape from the unknown danger. Or Astrid had gone away first, and Hiccup had only left Berk to try and hunt her down. Or the Night Furies that had attacked Berk had taken the two teens with them, swooping down and snatching them right up into the air. The stories were few and far between, and there was never really that sure statement that could undoubtedly been the true one.

In the past, Stoick would have come out right away and explained everything to the people on Berk. He would have made sure that nobody was confused on what was going on, or lost on how to possibly fix things together. But all he had offered them was that the Night Fury that had caused all this was somewhere out there still. The small detail was lost on everyone, and it did little to no help. The only real thing it did was cause even more conflict and confusion. Even more so with those who were sent out to look for Hiccup and Astrid. They always came back with grumbles of irritation, scowls of anger and impatience. "We don't even know why we're looking." They would complain. "Just because Hiccup is the chief's son - that's not the reason."

The words themselves were bad enough. But Spitelout was always the loudest of the group, and one day, he pushed it over the edge. Plodding back through the rain-dampened forest and back into the main Square, the Viking had pronounced his next words loudly, unafraid who or what might hear him. "Mark my words." He spat out to the rest of the search party, each man and woman looking up to him with curious eyes. It was unheard of for someone to question the Chief, and it was even worse when you considered the fact that Spitelout was Stoick's own brother.

But nevertheless, the man had a look of extreme anger creased over his face, and he had said the words loud and clear. It was obvious that he had no intention of caring about whether or not anyone heard, it was almost like he wanted people to know what he was about to say. "Something else is going on around here." Spitelout had snapped aloud. "Something is going on around here, and Stoick isn't telling us what." He'd turned, looking around to each of the others that were around him. "He's hiding something, I'm sure of it."

And that pretty much marked when things started to go downhill. The words from Stoick's brother had started to rub off on everyone else, and slowly the village was starting to lose its touch. After all, if they couldn't trust their Chief, how could an island stand? The thoughts were worrisome, and Stormfly gave a sad frown as she tucked tighter into herself. The biting winds went right through her scales, chilling her to the very bone and causing her to give out wild shivers every once and a while. She brought her tattered wings closer to her sides, trying to create friction of some sort to try and keep her warmer. But the holes created drafts, and she soon realized that it was a pointless effort.

She settled down with a frustrated scowl, sighing shortly as she surveyed the scene in front of her. The humans were milling around busily like they always did these days, and yet that was the only noise. Other than the occasional words exchanged between others, and the sounds of hammers and tools, the place was quiet. It created an eerie effect, and as the clouds massed together tightly, Stormfly could almost see the impending stress and danger. Even if they weren't really for sure that there was any.

"Stormfly!" The Nadder stiffened at her name, twisting her neck back to look towards where the shout had come from. Lumbering towards her on stumpy legs, Meatlug chuffed out yet another greeting before she managed to sit down beside the other dragoness. Stormfly flicked her tail, acknowledging the greeting but not speaking aloud. Inwardly, she gave a small sigh of exasperation. Meatlug was never her favorite dragon on the island. To be frank, the Gronckle was rather dim, and Stormfly sometimes found herself drifting away from their conversations just because they were so bland. She much rather preferred Hookfang's company, and that was saying something.

"What're you up to?" Meatlug drawled lazily, giving a huge yawn after her words. Stormfly sighed at the movement, knowing all too well that the dragon had just had a three hour nap a short while ago. They had needed her earlier when the dragons had taken part in the rebuilding, and the Gronckle had been no help at all while she was dozing away. And now it looked like yet another nap was coming around the corner. Sometimes Stormfly could swear that the dragon had never done a single productive thing in her life after the ordeal with the Red Death. And even then she wasn't exactly a 'hero.'

"Oh, you know." Stormfly sighed politely, deciding that she might as well have someone to talk to rather than sit alone. Even if it was Meatlug, company was company. "Just watching the humans work." Meatlug yawned yet again, Stormfly eyeing the female oddly as she did so. But then she shook herself, going on without pausing too much on the fact. "You know, Meatlug…" Hopefully she could get advice off of her, however silly the idea sounded. "…have you noticed how off the island is nowadays?"

"What do you mean?" Meatlug asked, looking puzzled by the question.

Stormfly shrugged, unable to put enough of her troubling thoughts into her tone. "You know." She repeated instead, voice rising expectantly as she spoke. "With the way that everyone is so tense now. It's not as…_happy _around here as it used to be. Even the children are quiet. There's hardly any more riding around here than there used to be." The comment surprised her by how true it was, and as she said the words, Stormfly raised her eyes up to the cloudy sky with a trace of sickness.

It was true that the only dragons seen zipping around the sky were unaccompanied, or if they did have humans, they were only out for the purpose of surveying the island. But even if the humans still rode for fun, would it make her feel better? No, of course not. Because she would be unable to get up into the sky with them anyway. She'd be grounded, with or without Astrid there to help her along. She glanced down at her ruined wings as the thought passed her mind, and she gave a weary sigh as they fluttered in the wind.

"I think it's nice." Meatlug said blearily, stretching luxuriously in the damp grass as her tail shivered with the force. Stormfly perked at the statement, eyes wide with disbelief. But the pudgy dragon didn't even bother to notice the look, purring loudly as she settled back down with a happy expression. "Before it was so noisy and loud; there was hardly enough peace and quiet for a good nap. Now there's nothing _but _quiet. It's so nice to be able to take a nap without being disturbed, right?"

"That's a weird way of thinking about it." Stormfly said, voice riddled with surprise. "Everyone's so sad now."

"Sad? I hardly noticed." Meatlug commented.

Stormfly gave a snort of irritation, turning away with a roll of her eyes. "Probably because you've been too busy sleeping." She grumbled with a hint of contempt. While the dragon's aloofness could be fun on a good day, Stormfly was more than done with her right now. What with all the drama and storms brewing up around them, she would have hoped that Meatlug would start to mature a little bit more to meet the occasion. But it seems as if her wishing was all for naught; Meatlug was just as weird and sleepy as she was every other day.

Hoping to turn the attention over to something that wouldn't be as irritating, Stormfly perked a little bit as she turned around. "So…now that you're awake, are you going to help out?" She prompted, already knowing that the question might be a little too hopeful. Meatlug turned, looking almost baffled at the words as she tilted her head quizzically to the side. Stormfly twitched at the movements, but only pressed her question even farther. "Fishlegs might need your help with something." She stressed, feeling a stab in her heart as she realized that Astrid wasn't here for her anymore. "You could maybe find him out and try to lessen his workload."

"Haven't I helped enough today?"

"You slept the morning away!" Stormfly exclaimed.

Meatlug scoffed, as if the statement was ridiculous. "Well." She sighed invitingly, turning over and laying down on her side snugly. Stormfly pushed herself up to a sitting position, looking down on the other now as she straightened herself. "It's almost nighttime anyway, I'd suppose. No use in starting right now, what could I get done?" She caught Stormfly's look of frustration, stilling in her tired stretches as she peered up almost innocently at the Nadder. "I don't see you working very hard." She commented.

Stormfly waved her paw angrily, a rough sign of dismissal. "I've been away all day, you haven't seen me." She retorted, twisting around and nodding towards the forest that edged the other side of the village square. "I've been a part of the search party that's out looking for the missing people. I covered the whole island while you were off sleeping." She flicked the tip of her tail, craning her neck around to look back at her useless wings with a hint of anger. It wouldn't take so long for her to search the island if she could fly. But she was just left walking around with the other Vikings, having to listen to their complaining and anger every step of the way. It took a lot out of her physically and mentally, so any chance for her to rest, she would surely take it.

"Find anything?" Meatlug prompted.

Stormfly sighed wearily, closing her eyes and deflating visibly. "No." She huffed.

"Well then, you didn't get anything done." The Gronckle stated, oblivious to the flare in the Nadder as she smiled in return. Stormfly fumed, watching as Meatlug only settled down comfortably in the tall meadow. Overhead, thunder rumbled in the distance, and Stormfly wondered if she should start to head home. The storm would break any second now, and she was probably running out of time for the dash back to Astrid's house. But she couldn't stand to leave without giving out the harsh words that were burning in the back of her throat.

"At least I'm helping." She snapped, getting to her feet in a rush as she shot a glare down at the other.

"Hey, no need to be rude." Her friend yawned in reply, looking up at her sleepily. "I'm just-"

"Just being lazy." Stormfly growled, claws unsheathing to dig down into the ground. In the back of her mind, a voice told her to calm down. She was getting so worked up over a simple fact that she already knew: Meatlug was lazy. It wasn't like she hadn't known that already. She never got upset over it before, so why start now? She and her were friends, after all. But right now all she could manage was to get intensely frustrated. "I thought dragons were supposed to help their humans." She sighed, knowing all too well that the fact she was so upset was because Astrid wasn't here for Stormfly to be with.

Meatlug only gave another careless yawn. "I thought dragons were supposed to be friendly now." She retorted.

Stormfly scoffed, giving out a snap of anger as she turned around. Tightening her wings closer to her in anger, the Nadder stomped away quickly, fed up with her friend and not willing to associate with her anymore. Maybe she could go back into the woods to check once again for Astrid without any other Vikings this time. That way there would be no interruptions or anything like that. She could just be alone like she wanted; that way she would have the peace and quiet she needed to cool herself down.

But right before she was about to disappear into the foliage the bridged the village, shouting brought her back. She turned towards the raised voices, eyes wide with curiosity as she did so. Off to the side, a pair of Vikings were set working on one of the houses. She recognized Hofferson and Spitelout from their search parties they went on together, and a sick feeling wormed its way into Stormfly's stomach as she remembered how terribly the two got along. And they were showing that now, it looked like.

Hofferson was glaring sharply at Spitelout, undisguised anger and hatred in his eyes as he glowered the man's way. "Stop trying to tell me how to build." He snapped, turning around stiffly as he picked up yet another board. "Just because you think you're the greatest person on this island doesn't really make it true." The tone was condescending, obviously meant to start a fight rather than stomp it down. Stormfly winced as Spitelout only flared at the comment, getting angrier just like she predicted.

"At least I know how to build a simple house." He growled.

Hofferson blew out his cheeks, turning and slamming the planks of wood down on the ground as hard as he could. "You know what!?" He yelled, Spitelout stepping backwards with surprise at the sudden roar of anger. But Hofferson's eyes were narrow slits of anger, and he didn't even bother to try and pick up the mess he'd created. "If you don't like the way I build, then you can build it by yourself! I'm going out to search again, because I actually c_are _about the people that are missing!"

With that, he stomped away, not giving the man a moment to try and reply with a comeback. He left behind the mess of tools and wood, trudging back the way he had come as he made for the woods. He brushed right past Stormfly, not even noticing his daughter's dragon as the Nadder had to stumble to the side. Turning, the dragoness watched the man go, eyes round as she looked from man to man in a hint of confusion. The fight was so simple and yet complex at the same time. What started out as a fight over whether or not the board of wood went there or there, slowly mutated into the big issue that everyone was trying to avoid.

They shouldn't have fought. It was such a simple fix that could have been talked out. Was the island at such a horrid state that fights as simple as this would tear it apart? She blinked, looking back over at Meatlug with a small flash of sadness. The Gronckle was still laying down on the ground, no doubt trying to go back to sleep before the Nadder could come back and disturb it again. She shouldn't have fought with her. The thought was a heavy one, and it caused pangs of guilt to claw at her heart. She should go back and apologize.

She picked up her foot, leaning forward as she readied herself to go back.

But then she hung her head, shaking it back and forth wearily. She turned instead, hunching her shoulders and letting her tattered wings drag uselessly across the ground. Plodding on, she headed into the woods, wishing for the cover and silence that they would surely bring her. "Oh, Astrid." She sighed sorrowfully. "I miss you so much; it's a mess without you here. Please come back."

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

As soon as the sun peeked over the horizon, everyone was up and awake. News had traveled fast throughout the group, and the morning came with hushed whispers and wide eyes. Nightflight was going to try and do a spell again. Nervousness fought against curiosity, the dragons unsure whether or not this would be a good idea. But nevertheless, there was an air of expectation as they milled around with one another. The early rays of morning managed to offer a little bit of warmth in the cold, yet it didn't stop shivers from shaking the Night Furies head to toe.

As soon as Hiccup woke up, he was on his feet searching. He weaved and spun through the crowd of Night Furies, managing to give out a few calls of greeting or friendly waves. It seemed like forever ago that he was frightened of these dragons; he couldn't imagine a better group than the one that was surrounding him right now. The attack so long ago in the Cave was a thing of the past, and it was long forgotten from his mind. One shouldn't linger on the past.

When Hiccup's eyes finally landed on Nightflight, he knew without a doubt that the news had reached her already. The dragoness was clearly startled, eyes wide with angry disbelief. And when she heard the Hiccup's uneven gait coming closer, her rage only seemed to swell. She shot to her feet at once, wings shooting out with a flash as the Viking's steps started to slow with surprise. She was talking before he even got close, and yet her voice was loud enough that he had no trouble in hearing her.

"What are you thinking?" She howled, clouded green eyes like twin flames as she glared at him. Her jaw was locked backwards, her head held high as she loomed over the smaller human. "Don't go making promises for me!" She shouted. "How dare you tell Astrid that I would help her! Hiccup, I don't even _remember _how to do the spell in the first place! It barely worked with you, too! I just wanted to make you hear _me,_ and yet now you can hear every single kind of dragon! If that went wrong the first time, I don't want to know what might happen this time around!"

"Nothing will go wrong, though!" Hiccup assured her without a heartbeat's pause.

"And you're sure about that, are you?" She asked scathingly.

"What's this I hear?" Hiccup and Nightflight turned at the same time, blinking rapidly in sync as they saw Mistyeyes and Toothless bounding over to join them. The gray dragon looked worried, though clearly not as much as Nightflight was. Concern creased over the female's face, and Toothless just looked a little lost at her side. When they came to a halt, Mistyeyes looked from Nightflight to Hiccup, gaze searching. "Nightflight, you're going to try and get Astrid to understand dragons?" She asked invitingly, clearly asking for her side of the story.

"Of course not." Nightflight hissed, answering the unspoken question as she rounded back on Hiccup. "Hiccup is just going around making empty promises that he can't keep. There's no way I'm going to do anything like that. Way too much could go wrong." She twitched angrily, scowling darkly his way. "You might be willing to chance it, but I'm certainly not."

"There's no chancing!" Hiccup objected. "I know you'll be able to do it!"

"Well that makes one of us." She snarled.

"Wait, wait." Mistyeyes commanded, stepping in between the pair as she realized that it was started to get heated. Taking in a slow breath, the pale dragoness turned to look inquisitively at the boy. "Hiccup, why did you do this?" She asked patiently, voice weighed carefully as to not stir up even more trouble. "I'm sure Nightflight is just a little miffed right now. Maybe if you explain your thinking, she'll be able to relate a little bit more." Nightflight puffed up defiantly at this, but bit back her retort wisely.

Hiccup sighed slowly, shoulders loosening sadly as he looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry." He mumbled, Nightflight stilling at the new tone of voice. "It's just- Astrid is so sad. She feels like she's worthless because she can't understand what's going on. She feels like a burden because she has to have everything explained to her. I tried to tell her that she was just as important as any of us, but she doesn't listen when I tell her." He hesitated, looking over at Nightflight with an apologetic look. "I know that it's sudden…and I understand why you don't want to do anything like this." Nightflight's ears flattened. "But she's really sad. And I hate seeing her that way. You _have _to help her. You have to try, at least."

Nightflight grew silent at this, ducking her head low as she hunched her shoulders.

Mistyeyes's ear flicked as she backtracked back to Toothless's side, figuring that the worst of their hostility was over by now. "Well, Nightflight?" She prompted when the dragoness was silent for some time. The black female stirred at her name, raising her head ever so slightly. But she didn't say anything, refusing to speak up now as she turned. Hiccup sighed through his nose, crossing his arms over his chest heavily. "What are you going to do?" Mistyeyes raised her eyes, looking up at the sky with a twinge of nervousness. "We've got to get going soon; if you're going to do this, we have to do it before we leave. And soon."

When Nightflight didn't offer any kind of statement, Toothless took a step forward. "I think it's a good idea." He said, eyes flashing over to Hiccup's as he spoke. "After all, it could only benefit us in the long run. Look at what we have at stake for when we get back to Berk. You think it would be easier to convince them all if we have two people that can talk to dragons? One is already good, but…there's safety in numbers."

"But none of you are thinking of the potential it could have." Nightflight hissed in frustration. "I bet you wouldn't be so keen on doing it if it were Hiccup." The words were aimed at Toothless, as she spoke, the male drew back as if slapped. As if catching the movement, Nightflight's tail flicked irritably. "This could either be very good, or very bad." She stated. "There's no in between. And if something does go bad, I don't want to be the dragon responsible for it. I've caused enough heartache, and I don't trust myself now not to cause any more. I want to put these abilities as far behind me as I can." She turned over to Hiccup. "I was only practicing on Ludi just in case. From now on, I don't want to do anything like that unless it's of the utmost importance."

"But it _is_." Hiccup stressed. "You'll be doing Astrid a huge favor."

Nightflight shook her head. "But if it doesn't _work_?" She shouted. "What if the other dragons see it fail? Or see something go wrong?" Toothless and Mistyeyes stiffened at the picture. "They'll think they aren't safe anymore, or it'll drag up their old feelings about me. We work be able to work together as well as do now. We'll go right back to the beginning. Are you really willing to chance that?"

Hiccup was silent for a moment. But then he brightened, smiling widely. "We can go to the other end of the island!" He declared. "That way, no one but us will see it! So if it doesn't work like what happened with Ludi, it'll just be this group that knows it! We won't judge you if it doesn't work, and then everything will be fine. And if it does work, we'll all be around to say we told you so."

Nightflight hesitated, still looking a little unsure. "…You think I should?" She asked, turning in the direction of Mistyeyes and Toothless.

Toothless answered at once. "It would be a big breakthrough." He said. "I think it'd be a good idea. And besides, there's no harm in trying." Hiccup seemed to win at this statement. Toothless would be one of the first to know what Nightflight's powers are capable of. Though the selfish, egotistical dragon that she used to be was long gone, the memory of what she had done before would always be fresh in the male's mind. If he thought that Nightflight should go ahead and try, he must really believe that the female had changed, or that she would most definitely be able to pull it off.

Mistyeyes seemed a bit more thoughtful though. She stared long and hard at Nightflight, memories and inner feelings swimming through her clear eyes like minnows. It took her much longer to reply, and Hiccup caught sight of Nightflight growing anxious at the silence. But finally she spoke, lowering her head in a small nod. "I think you should." She said, voice somewhat quiet. "But we're not the ones that are in question here. We'll be behind you with whatever you choose." She flashed a sharp look Hiccup's way, the words holding a small hint of warning in them.

Hiccup relented with a small, tense nod.

"And…if anything goes wrong…?"

"It won't." He assured for the millionth time.

"But if it does." She repeated firmly. "You won't be angry with me?"

"Of course not." Hiccup said fiercely. "What could ever make me mad at you?"

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

Mistyeyes, Toothless, Shadowclaw, Leafdapple, Nightflight, Hiccup, Astrid, and Ludi. That was the motley crew that ventured deeper into the island. Hiccup had left the other Night Furies with the promise that he would be back soon. He made it seem as though he was just giving them more time to rest, though he was more than sure that the group knew what he was not telling them. But they hadn't objected to his words, staying in the front clearing and watching with wide eyes as he took his friends and vanished into the foliage.

Now and then, the Viking would glance back over his shoulder, hyper alert for any stalkers or curious younglings. But the place was silent as they plodded on, and he allowed himself to relax as they got closer to the other shoreline. At his side, Astrid walked. Ludi was perched awkwardly on her shoulder, the cat not letting up her perch even though she was getting way too big for the feat. But Astrid seemed well for the company. With one hand, she stroked the cat nervously, and with the other, she clung tightly to Hiccup's own.

Her knuckles were bleached white from the force she had, and every so often, her hand would give a small shake of anxiousness. Hiccup glanced over at her now, knowing that they were nearly upon their destination. "You don't have to do this, you know." He said in a small whisper. Astrid turned to him, unable to hide the fright that was playing on the edges of her features. Hiccup's expression creased with pain, and he said once more: "You're a valuable member of this team, Astrid. You don't have to do this to prove that."

But she nodded. "Yeah. I do. Besides…it'll be fine."

_Are you saying that to me, or yourself? _Hiccup asked silently.

"Here we are." Mistyeyes said from up ahead, coming to a stop. From here, the island fell away steeply in a cliff, the ocean roaring against the side of it way down below. Toothless leaned over the side, looking down with narrowed eyes at the water, as if trying to decide from the waves what type of weather it would be today. Leafdapple and Shadowclaw sat off to the side, close together as they watched the scene with a small hint of anxiousness.

"You guys are sure about this?" Shadowclaw asked, eyes flickering back and forth as he eyed the group.

Leafdapple prodded him in the side. "It'll be fine." She assured him. "Nightflight knows what she's doing." The little one turned, eyes gleaming as they rested on the adult. In a lower voice, obviously meant for only Shadowclaw, she whispers: "I've never really seen for sure what Nightflight does when she does this. Is it interesting? It sounds pretty amazing." Her eyes were wide, a smile on her face now. It was apparent that she was undoubtedly excited to see this.

But Shadowclaw was less enthused. He gave a small shrug. "It's pretty cool, I guess." He mumbled, voice laced with worry.

"If we're going to do this, we should do it soon." Mistyeyes said, taking a set beside the two younger ones. Toothless straightened, veering away to take his place beside her. Together they created a line, all eyes on the trio standing in front of them now. "The others will be waiting for us, and we can't make them wait any longer." She glanced up at the sky. "We're already late."

Nightflight hissed shortly. "You can't rush this." She snapped.

Mistyeyes opened her mouth to reply, but snapped it shut, thinking better of it.

Astrid steeled herself, giving a small nod as she looked at the dragons around her. "Yeah." She said firmly, glancing back at Hiccup. "I can't understand anything they're saying right now."

"You aren't missing much." Hiccup sighed.

"Still. I want to know what I don't right now. And this is the only way to be sure that I'll do that." Astrid turned, picking Ludi up off her shoulder and placing her gently down to the ground. "You go over and be with the others." She said kindly, leaning down and nudging the tabby over to the dragons. "You'll be safe over there." Spitting crossly at losing her spot, Ludi hopped over, weaving affectionately around Hiccup's legs before breaking off and trotting over to sit beside Shadowclaw. The male smiled widely at the cat who he'd played with when he was littler, drawing her over and making sure that she was out of everyone's way.

"Okay, Nightflight." Hiccup said. "We're ready."

The Night Fury jerked at her name, turning with a small wince. Her claws were unsheathed a little nervously, but she gave a nod nonetheless. Pacing forward, she went closer until she was a few yards away from the two of them. "Alright." She sighed, voice tinged with regret already. Her ears flicked now, and she blinked rapidly, as if preparing herself for some kind of staring contest. "…Now?" She asked.

Hiccup made a move to let go of Astrid's hand, but the blonde only tightened her grip. Turning with a rather surprised look, Hiccup opened his mouth to say something. But Astrid spoke first, blue eyes locking with his own as the forest met with the ocean. "Stay." She said tightly, making it an order rather than a plead. She squeezed his hand tightly, biting her lower lip. "Don't look at her, but just…I want you to stay."

His eyes softened. "It'll be okay." He comforted.

She shook her head. "Just stay. Please." She said again.

"Okay." Hiccup said simply. Then, knowing that she would still be unsettled, he leaned down quickly and gave her a small kiss. It wasn't anything long, it was chaste and simple. But he knew that it would help keep her grounded. And when he was finished, she did look a little bit settled, and he gave her a warm smile. "I love you."

"I know." She scoffed, giving him her own smile.

"'Kay, Nightflight." Hiccup said, turning away and averting his eyes from the dragoness as he reapplied his hold on Astrid's hand. "We're ready."

Mistyeyes sighed mentally, tensing herself up as Nightflight closed her eyes tightly. "This is it." She sighed, glancing over at Toothless with a small twinge of nervousness. Toothless turned to look back at her, looking confused by the sudden worry that was overcoming the female's face. Mistyeyes's ears flattened, and she shuffled her paws a little wearily. Leafdapple perked, looking over at her as she shifted. "You think we did the right thing?" She huffed lowly.

Toothless blinked oddly. "You were the one who said she should do it." He reminded her.

"I know, but…" She flicked an ear, not finishing her sentence.

Toothless stared at her a moment more before turning back to the scene in front of them. Hiccup's eyes were set firmly on the ground, the boy not saying anything as he held firmly to Astrid's hand. The blonde took in a deep breath, raising her head slowly so that she could lock eyes with Nightflight. The dragon's eyes were narrowed with effort and concentration, her wings trembling at her sides.

Toothless was overcome with surprise at the sudden amount of concentration that Nightflight had adopted. Her cheeks were a little bit puffed out at the sides, her claws digging into the ground and scoring into the earth as she leaned forward at a slant. Her muscles shivered and twitched, and Toothless realized that the female was working herself harder than she needed to. He remembered what it had been like before, though it was rather vaguely.

He remembered how easily it had been to focus in on her. The dragoness had been cool, calm and collected as she cooed out whatever she had wanted him to do. She had been sure of herself, looking no different than she always did once she looked into his gaze. She hadn't been pushing herself, looking ready to explode. She had been sleek, unmoving and almost casual whenever she had gotten him to forget Hiccup. So why was she suddenly so fixed on making it harder than it needed to be?

Nightflight winced, growling underneath her breath for a moment. But then she shook herself, leaning forward even farther as she tried again. Toothless shifted uneasily; Nightflight had such a forward presence that it looked like a breeze might send her sprawling over herself. "Hey, Nightflight?" He called out, the female tensing at the sound of his voice. The three dragons seated beside him looked at him with disbelief as he spoke out, but he paid no heed. "Why are you trying so hard?" He asked, puzzled.

"Let me do this!" She snapped through clenched teeth, voice sounding pinched and pained.

"But-"

"Toothless, be quiet!" Hiccup snapped, looking up from the ground and sending him a warning glare.

The male sat back, looking irritated and worried by now. "You see it too, right?" He hissed out of the corner of his mouth, glancing over at Mistyeyes, who offered him a slow nod of reply. Her blue eyes were thoughtful as she took in both Nightflight and Astrid, and she took a small step forward, as if to intervene. But then she cut herself off, shaking her head as she sat back. Toothless's ears flattened, the dragon closing his eyes and sending up a prayer to Thor that it didn't matter that Nightflight didn't look the same as she had before. Why would it, anyway?

Astrid's body was rigid, her blue eyes wide as she was transfixed on the black dragon in front of her. Leafdapple's smile faded little by little, her excitement being replaced by an eerie feeling of fear at the odd sight. Hiccup was obviously growing impatiently frightened as the process seemed to stretch on for forever. Surely it took a shorter time than this for him?

Spluttering and gasping by now, Nightflight was trembling head to toe, putting all of herself into the moment as she tried to perform the spell. Her teeth were clenched, making a strained barrier that held back the rest of her noises of effort. Seconds that felt like hours slowly crawled into minutes that felt like days. And as five minutes passed, Toothless started to feel the small, dreary feeling of disappointment.

It wasn't working.

"Nightflight?" He prompted, breaking into the process for the second time. "It's getting late…" The sun was nearly all the way over the horizon now. They should have left a long time ago.

Nightflight let out a flustered groan, pushing herself forward one last time as she attempted the spell one last time. But the burst only caused a small shiver to run up Astrid's spine. Still glaring angrily into Astrid's eyes, Nightflight let out another rumble of held-in fury. But both Toothless and Mistyeyes knew that the anger was not directed at Astrid; Nightflight was just angry at herself. "Ugh." She roared. "Just forget it." She snapped.

Astrid tensed.

Hiccup tightened his hold on her hand, but still kept his eyes firmly on the ground. "Nightflight, no!" He shouted at once. "We're so close! Don't give up now!"

"It's pointless!" She flashed back furiously.

"Keep going!" Hiccup yelled, voice sharper.

Toothless stiffened at once as Astrid seemed to respond now, shooting up to his feet with a panicked burst of emotion. No. "Hiccup, stop." He said at once, eyes wide as he looked from Nightflight to Astrid. "We need to stop, something isn't right!"

"It's fine!"

"I _said_ forget it!" Nightflight yowled, voice an ear-splitting roar.

At once, Astrid screamed sharply, knees buckling forward as she staggered. With her free hand, she gripped her head tightly, closing her eyes as if she had a mighty headache. Toothless froze, eyes wide with horror as he stared down at the blonde. Mistyeyes, Leafdapple, and Shadowclaw shot up at this, leaping to their feet as if an enemy had just advanced. Hiccup gasped sharply, breaking contact with the grass as he looked over at Astrid with terror. Grabbing her hand tighter, he pulled up, catching the girl and making sure she didn't fall.

Nightflight staggered backwards, blinking rapidly. "What-"

Astrid was shaking, blue eyes round and distant as she stared unseeingly at the ground. "Astrid!" Hiccup yelled urgently, lowering her down gently and watching as the girl collapsed against the wet grass. He leaned down beside her, on all fours as he shook her shoulder urgently. "Astrid!" He screamed, voice turning hysterical now as he tried to get her to react. But the girl was comatose at the moment, not even flicking an eyelid at his urgings. "Astrid! Stop!" Hiccup shouted angrily. "I told you it would be fine! It still is! So get up!"

Toothless rounded on Nightflight at once, eyes blazing now with an unnamed danger as he advanced on her. Nightflight shrunk back, trembling with fear now as she shrunk. "What did you say?" He demanded at once, Mistyeyes's eyes narrowing with confusion. He seemed to take this to heart for some reason. When Nightflight didn't answer right away, he pressed on more fiercely. "**What exactly did you say to her**?" He demanded.

"Toothless, calm down-" Mistyeyes tried, but Toothless ignored her rudely.

"I-I- I don't-"

"You told her to 'forget it?'" Toothless screeched.

"Of course not!" Nightflight yelped. "I said that to Hiccup!"

"But you were looking at **her**!" He raged.

"Then I didn't mean to!" Nightflight wailed. "I wasn't even supposed to be doing anything then! I wasn't even trying to-"

"Stop yelling at her!" Mistyeyes roared, planting herself in between the pair with a sharp look at Toothless. "How dare you suggest that this was done on purpose! Astrid is Nightflight's _friend_! She would never try to do anything to hurt her!"

"Astrid?" The trio turned at once, Hiccup's voice having changed drastically. It was filled with confusion, and a little hope too. And as they turned back to look, they saw that Astrid had stopped shaking, going limp now as she relaxed against the blades of grass. Her blue eyes were still distant, but bit by bit intelligence started to flood back into them. Mistyeyes smiled with relief, Leafdapple and Shadowclaw both drooping with loose sighs. But Toothless's eyes were still in firm slits, claws gouging the earth as he remained stiff with anger.

"What's your problem?" Mistyeyes hissed at him.

Toothless's expression only grew darker. "Just wait." He hissed.

Astrid focused on them first, blinking rapidly at the sight of the Night Furies that were staring down at her. Quickly, the girl pushed herself up, shooting up and backwards as she tried to scurry away like a wounded cat. The others made a move to go after her, but Toothless raised his tail to bar their way, expression grim as he held them back. But Hiccup refused to let her near the edge of the cliff, reaching over and grabbing her up tightly as he pulled her away from the drop. The blonde let out a sharp scream at the sudden touch, and once Hiccup let her go, she zipped up to her feet, edging away from him with a cautious look.

"…Astrid?" Hiccup prompted, looking hurt by her reaction. Putting his hands down on the ground, he got up as well, edging closer to her. He went much more slowly now, as if he realized that something was different about her now. Astrid's eyes narrowed at the advance, and her left hand curled into a tight ball. Hiccup didn't notice it though, reaching over and grabbing her other hand as a comforting gesture. "What's-"

The fist went back, locking into a ninety degree angle before shooting forward. As soon as Hiccup touched her, the blow was thrown his way, and Toothless watched unmoving as the boy went sprawling back onto his back. Surprise shot its way from the others behind him, but before anyone could move, Astrid shot down to join the teenager. Other hand flying out, she locked a firm hold on the boy's neck, ensuring him unable to move as she pinned him down. Using her other hand as a threat, she held another fist over his face, blue eyes blazing with anger and confusion at the same time.

"Who are you?" She spat, Hiccup going absolutely motionless at the statement.

Nobody spoke.

Nobody moved.

The truth of the matter was there, they were just unable to face it.

All except for Toothless.

"Who _are _you?" Astrid repeated, gripping his neck a little tighter now. "You'd better start talking right now! Where am I?" When Hiccup didn't even budge, she locked her elbow back even farther, expression growing dangerous. "You have ten seconds before I shoot another one! Why am I here?"

Toothless turned around, looking back at Nightflight with a deadly look of confirmation. The Night Fury looked scared at this turn of events, guilt and horror playing in her gaze. "She doesn't remember anything." He stated numbly. "It happened again."

"No." Mistyeyes whispered, voice hollow.

"I- I- I didn't mean- I thought I told you- If you had just listened to me-" Nightflight stumbled with her words.

"You were right all along, Nightflight." Shadowclaw said simply. "Something _did _go wrong."

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

A/N: Sorry if there are typos and stuff. I'm going on a vacation in literally a few minutes and I just managed to get this out to you. I'll update again when I get home if I get a lot of reviews for this! School starts in exactly a week, so I'll have to get a few last-minute summer updates in before then. ((sad sigh)).

And guys, I have FOUR stories going on right now. So that means I'm flipping BUSY. And that's why I say that the more reviews I get, the more I update. Because it's a lot of stories to handle, and I only wanna concern myself with the ones that I get the most feedback for. So if you see me updating another story and not this one, that doesn't mean I've FORGOTTEN about this story. It just means that the story in question got more reviews last chapter than this one did.

So if you really want an update, all you have to do is review~

Thank you and goodnight ;)

((Once again sorry for any typos.))


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Dang! I should ask for reviews more often! As soon as I did that, there was like this WAVE of feedback! I was so happy XDD

**So close to reaching that famous happy end**

**Almost believing this one's not pretend.**

**Now you're beside me…and look how far we've come**

**So far…we are…so close…**

So Close - Jon Mclaughlin

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

The clearing was dead silent, Shadowclaw's words hanging over into the air like a dead weight. Nightflight was shaking from head to toe, disbelief, guilt, and horror written all over her features as she staggered backwards. Mistyeyes stiffened at the sight of the Night Fury, ears perking as she dashed forward. Right as the black female was looking ready to keel over, the other went to her side, leaning over quickly and acting as a crutch for her. Pressing her shoulder tightly to Nightflight's own, Mistyeyes winced with the effort, muscles aching already as she supported the winded dragon. "Nightflight, calm down." She soothed through clenched teeth. "It's fine, it'll be okay."

"Well, don't lie to her!" Toothless blustered, raging with anger by now as he turned on the two. Mistyeyes's mouth dropped open, indignation shining bright in her blue eyes at the new advancement he was making. Nightflight winced away from his sharp tone, ears slicked flat against her head as she ducked away. But Toothless either didn't see the stress he was putting on her, or he didn't care. Pacing forward quickly, the male glared sternly down at the blinded female. "Fix it." He said at once, tone clipped as he made it clear that this was not a request. When Nightflight didn't respond, he pressed firmer. "Fix. It."

"I don't know how!" Nightflight yelled in response, voice tight and shrill. "I tried telling you all that I wasn't going to be able to do it, but nobody was listening to me!" Toothless flared at the notion that it was their fault, snapping open his mouth for a sharp retort. But Nightflight kept going, frantically tripping over her words by now. "I-I told you that I wouldn't have any idea on what I was doing! I said that something would go wrong but all you did was tell me that it would be fine! It's not fine, I _knew_ this would happen, but none of you would let me try to prevent it!"

"Don't try to pin this on-"

"Toothless!" Mistyeyes roared, effectively snapping his words apart as the Night Fury looked over to her with wide eyes. Mistyeyes was flaring at the sight of him now, glowering at him with a glare as hard as flint. "She's right, you know." She snarled, lip curling. "We were the ones that did this, not her. And you know that as well as I do. Stop yelling at her, or you'll have to deal with me too." Straightening herself to prove her point further, the pale dragoness eyed him warningly.

Toothless blinked, looking caught off-guard by the sudden change that seemed to occur between Mistyeyes and Nightflight. But he didn't linger on the thought for very long, shaking his head firmly as he cleared his head of the wonderings. Instead, he took another step forward, trying to control himself before he spoke. But when he did, his voice was still pinched with held-in rage and anger, and Nightflight still flinched away worriedly.

"Listen to me." He said slowly, claws unsheathing and digging into the ground firmly. "This has already happened once. It _cannot _happen again, do you hear me? It's…." He broke off, closing his eyes tightly for a minute as he tried to recollect himself. When he finally managed it, his eyes snapped back open, burning like embers as he glared at the pair sorrowfully. "It's not fair." He said in a whisper, the words only meant for the Night Furies sitting around him. He shook his head, ears flattening. "Not to him. Please don't make him go through it again."

"I can't fix it." She croaked. "I've told you already, I don't know how."

Toothless sighed slowly through his nose, disappointment swallowing him up like a tide. Mistyeyes leaned forward slightly, giving him yet another warning look if he decided to yell again. But the Night Fury wasn't looking back at them anymore. He'd turned, green eyes heavy with sadness as he stepped back to look Hiccup's way. The teen was still frozen, having not moved a single muscle after falling to the ground. His green eyes were wide as he stared up blankly at Astrid, and behind the apathetic shock, Toothless could see the unimaginable horror and agony on his features.

The blonde yelled out yet again, distrust and violence in every fiber of her being now. The girl who had laughed and stood by them warmly just a few minutes ago was now replaced with this confused soul. It was a painstaking thought, and yet it only got worse when she started shouting for the second time. Her fist was locked back tightly; Toothless assumed without a doubt that even if she had no memory of herself or what she'd done, she was still the top-notch fighter she always was.

"Well?" She snapped fiercely, holding a fistful of his shirt in her other hand and shaking him to attention. Hiccup blinked rapidly, gasping sharply, as if he were just surfacing out of cold water. But if Astrid cared for his reaction, she didn't show it. "I've already punched you once, and if you think I won't do it again, you're severely mistaken." Already, there was a nasty shading over his eye, the formation of a bruise already stark against his pale skin tone. When Hiccup still couldn't find his voice, Astrid scowled, rearing her hand back for yet another strike.

Unable to stand still any longer, Toothless exploded forward, eyes worried and round with concern as he darted towards the pair. Mistyeyes let out a squawk of alarm, Leafdapple's ears perking anxiously as she ducked behind Shadowclaw. "Astrid!" Toothless shouted, trying to make his voice as gentle as it could be. But he was a dragon, and since Astrid couldn't understand what he was saying, his words only came out a loud roar. At once, the girl snapped backwards, her threatening fist slapping down to the ground as she let out a shrill scream.

"Astrid, wait!" Hiccup yelled at once, watching as the girl scrambled off of him in a sudden burst of panic, as if she had forgotten that the dragons were there in the first place. But the blonde didn't listen, scurrying backwards with a frantic look as she started to hyperventilate at the sight of the Night Fury. "Toothless, stop!" Hiccup shouted, scrambling up to his feet, his shocked look still plastered across his face. "You're scaring her!"

Toothless blinked rapidly, skidding to a clumsy halt. Astrid still ran backwards though, and the Night Fury realized with a stab of alarm that she was getting way too close to the ledge of the island. As soon as the thought flashed through the male's mind, Hiccup let out a sharp call. He shot forward, arms flying out at once as he reached for Astrid. This was the last straw for the girl, Astrid letting out a shrill yelp as he suddenly few at her. She pushed herself backwards in her last attempt to get away from the strange group, suddenly running out of ground as she plunged downwards.

"No!" Hiccup screamed, immediately diving down. Toothless stiffened at once, almost thinking that the boy had thrown himself into the ocean after her like he did with Amber before. But Hiccup only skidded on the grass, coming to a stop on the very edge of the cliff as he stretched himself down. Miraculously, his hand latched tightly onto Astrid's own, the boy's knuckles bleaching white as he grabbed the female's wrist as tightly as he could. Using his free hand to latch himself back onto the island, Hiccup grimaced at the pain tugging at his shoulder. It was the one that Nightflight had torn so long ago, and although it had healed pretty well by now, pain wrapped tightly around the muscles.

Astrid was gasping for air, blue eyes round with terror as she looked down into the ocean, which was still choppy after the bad storm last night. Her shoulders heaved up and down, and the girl clung to Hiccup's arm with both hands, suddenly realizing that even if she didn't know who this was, her life was suddenly dependent on him. But still, the confusion and hectic events around her were pressing enough to sidetrack her mind. "Who are you?" She screamed, shaking from the top of her had to the tips of her feet.

Hiccup groaned sharply, closing his eyes tightly as another wave of pain tugged down at his arm. He slipped for a moment, falling forward with a sickening drop of the stomach. Astrid screamed sharply, but Hiccup managed to catch himself before he could drop off the cliff, breathing heavily as he just barely managed to right himself. "I'm…Hiccup." He gasped, eyes snapping open to be wide with pain as he looked down at her. "Don't you remember me?"

"No!" Astrid yelped, starting to lose grip on the boy's arm. Frantically, she grabbed for a better purchase, eyeing the ocean below with a small whimper. But then she steeled herself, shaking her head as she twisted back around to look back at Hiccup. "And it's a good thing I'm down here!" She added, venom in her voice. "Otherwise you'd be getting an earful of me! Now get me up! Now!"

Taking the hint that Hiccup wasn't able to do it himself, Toothless dashed forward, leaning over and gently sinking his teeth into the back of Hiccup's tunic. Sinking backwards gradually, the Night Fury helped Hiccup to back up, the Viking letting his other hand slip down to wrap around Astrid firmly. Together, the pair of them managed to hoist Astrid back up onto safe land. Once they did, Astrid immediately got to her feet, taking a few paces off to the side and distancing herself a safe way away from the others.

Her blue eyes were fixed on Toothless with fright, and her shoulders were tensed as she looked him up and down. Stiffening at her expression, the Night Fury opened his mouth to say something. But Mistyeyes went forward to his side at this, having made sure that Nightflight was able to stand alone. "Don't." She said softly, pained expression resting on the space between Hiccup and Astrid. "She won't understand us; we'll have to let Hiccup explain as best he can." Toothless looked at her oddly, but he bit back his words as he saw his own confusion and loss in Mistyeyes herself. Dipping his head a little reluctantly and shooting Hiccup a worried glance, he stepped back with Mistyeyes, standing with the other dragons and keeping a large birth between the two humans.

Panting with the effort that he had just exerted, Hiccup pushed himself up to his feet, staring at Astrid uselessly as he drew a hand thickly through his hair. It mussed up the strands and caused him to look a little silly, but nobody commented on the minor detail. He let his arm slap back down to his side, not speaking for several moments as he just gazed at the girl standing across from him. Astrid met his stare with her own, though her's was more of a distrusting scowl than anything else.

Finally, she was the one who broke the silence. "This is the part where you tell me what's going on." She clarified, blue eyes flashing as she looked Hiccup up and down. "I don't think I've ever met you before, though…Hiccup." She said the name like it was her very first time, the word foreign on her confused tongue. Hiccup seemed to catch this small detail, eyes rounding out slightly with hurt. But Astrid only shook her head angrily. "If all you're going to do is stare at me, I'm going to leave."

"No, don't." Hiccup said quickly, fumbling over himself a little by now as he took a small step forward. But as soon as he advanced, Astrid stepped backwards, righting the space between them before it could shrink any further. Hiccup paused at the duck, but he got over it rather quickly. His green eyes searched her own, and his heart sank at once as he realized that there was nothing in her eyes that he remembered. There was no warmth, no friendliness. It was cold and remote, like she had never seen him before. He'd only known that stare once before, and that was with Toothless. And not even in his worst nightmares did he picture himself having to face this same look a second time.

"…How much do you remember?" He asked softly, voice weak.

Astrid didn't reply, only looking him up and down, as if she were sizing him up.

Hiccup's face cleared a little, more from surprise than anything else. Pity and worry battled in his eyes, and his stomach churned as violent as the ocean down below. "You don't remember anything…do you?" He said, making it more of a statement than a question.

"What are you talking about?" She asked at once, voice hardening quicker than he had expected.

"Look…" Hiccup started, blanching a moment as he tried to organize his thoughts. How could he ever explain everything that was going on? He hardly knew what he was doing already, and yet now he was expected to tell Astrid? The whole reason she wanted to do this in the first place was because she wanted to know more about what was going on. And now, looking at her, he realized that the exact opposite had happened. Now she knew nothing. And all the way out here, away from any kind of healers, family members, or sight of sure safety, how were they ever going to deal with this? The journey was hard enough already, it was already a challenge in the first place. Now, a huge obstacle was standing in front of him, and the problem he had to deal with left him breathless and winded.

He took a slow breath, trying to calm his spinning head and shaking hands. Sorting his thoughts like he would an unorganized room, Hiccup started off the best way he could. Forcing himself to look into those cold, unfamiliar eyes, he bit his lower lip before forcing himself forward. "Your name is Astrid Hofferson." He said, voice cracking a little as he shifted from foot to foot. "You…live on Berk, and you're the greatest fighter on the island." There was no flicker of remembrance in the girl's face, her expression remaining blank and confused. Forcing himself to go on, Hiccup braced himself. "You ride a dragon named Stormfly and she's a Deadly Nadder. You…um…you followed me out here to try and get the Night Furies and bring them back to Berk with us. Berk has every dragon _except_ for Night Furies, so we both figured that we could be the ones to bring them there.

"So far, we managed to get the Pack of dragons to agree to coming back to our island with us. We're in the process of taking them back right now." He paused, blinking rapidly as he realized how terrible this situation was. Turning slowly, like a stiff board, Hiccup gestured numbly to the group gathered behind them, throat starting to burn ominously in the process. "This is Toothless, Mistyeyes, Nightflight, Shadowclaw, and Leafdapple." He said, pointing to each dragon in turn as he said their names. "And…that's Ludi." He added weakly. "We've been traveling together for a long time."

"I don't remember any of this." She said accusingly, glaring daggers at Hiccup by the time he turned back around. She seemed to have gotten over the hurdle of being confused, now turning to anger. It was almost like she thought that Hiccup was lying to her. She crossed her arms tightly over her stomach, looking as if she would have wanted to take another step away from the Viking. But, eyeing the ledge, she decided that it was too risky of a thing to keep backing away. She stayed rooted where she was, but she was obviously watching his every move. Going still, and trying not to rub her even farther, Hiccup quieted for a heartbeat, wishing himself a faster thinker.

"Um…Nightflight…is not an ordinary dragon-"

"Is there such thing as a normal dragon?" Astrid demanded, cutting him off as he stared at her despairingly. "What's a Deadly Nadder? What's Berk? You're talking nonsense, can you just admit that?" Hiccup started to say something, but she wasn't about to let him do anything of the sort. "Look, I'm not going to stand here and listen to this. Something happened and I have to-"

"She put a spell on you." Hiccup said, breaking into her speech rudely. Astrid stiffened at this, looking curiously in the direction of the Night Fury. A flicker of unease came over her, and Hiccup knew that she was doubtful now. How could she not be, after all? Here she was, with no recollection of anything she had done or anything she might be. Hiccup was the only other person she'd seen so far. What else was she supposed to do, other than take his words to heart?

"Some dragons have this ability where if they stare at you right, and say all the right words," Nightflight ducked away from this statement guiltily. "they can do powerful things to the person that they're looking at. She did something to me a long time ago, and because of that, I could understand dragons and what they were saying. I could communicate with them on a higher level than most people." Astrid started to ask something, but he guessed her question before she could even manage to ask it. "Usually people can only guess what dragons mean. They sound like roars to anybody else when they try to talk. But instead of hearing them roar, I hear what they're really saying. That's why we were able to bring the group of Night Furies all the way out here: I was able to talk them into it and tell them how being with humans is better than being all alone."

"…Pack…?" She murmured, starting to look frustrated by now.

"It's a group of these kind of dragons." He clarified, indicating the group behind them for the second time. "But last night, after we took shelter here on this island, you came up to me and told me that you were tired of feeling left out. Unlike me, you weren't able to understand what the dragons were saying, and you felt like you were a burden because I had to keep explaining to you what was going on. So today we came out here in hopes of getting Nightflight to get you to understand dragons. But something went wrong, she said the wrong words or something. Because now…" He gestured at her uselessly, looking away with a disappointed sigh. There was no way that he could explain all of this right.

And it was clear in Astrid that the whole ordeal went right over her head. "You expect me to believe that?" She asked finally, looking stunned as she blinked rapidly. "I can't even understand a word you just said!" Hiccup winced away as her voice rose into a yell, sighing slowly through his nose. "It must just be…short-term memory loss!" She said finally, waving her hand dismissively as she brushed Hiccup away. "I must have hit my head or something! Not all this…magic dragon…quest…nonsense!"

"Astrid, you have to listen to me." Hiccup said patiently, swallowing back his cry of despair. _Listen to me! Don't you remember anything? You _have _to remember! _The blonde stilled at this, looking condescendingly attentive at the boy as she rose her eyebrows. He shook his head, trying to focus on what was going on in front of him, and not what was going on inside. He remembered the way that Toothless had acted back when this happened to him. He had to learn from his mistakes, not re-do them. He had to patient. No yelling. No getting angry. He had to _remind _her of who she was. Not force her into coming back. That only made things worse.

Slowly, and making sure that his voice was seriously level, Hiccup looked at her importantly. "You have to listen to me." He said, stressing each word that he spoke. Astrid's expression cleared somewhat at this, her arms falling back to her sides as she tilted her head to the side slightly. But Hiccup went on, frantically trying to figure out what he could try to do to get her to remember everything again. "I know that it might seem really weird right now, and you might think that I'm lying to you. But _trust _me, Astrid, when I say that I would _never _lie to you. This is all true, even if it might sound a little weird."

"It does sound a little weird." Astrid scoffed.

"But it's _true_." He pressed fervently. "You have to believe everything that I say."

"Why should I?" She challenged angrily, blush coloring her cheeks by now as she swelled with confused fury and frustration. "I open my eyes, see you, nearly get eaten by that dragon, nearly fall to my death, and I'm supposed to get here and take every word that you throw my way?" Obviously there was a point where she was expecting him to break into her speech, but he didn't. Shoulders drooping low, Hiccup stared at her sadly, unable to reply as he stared at her hopelessly. Blinking rapidly and shifting uneasily as she tried to get him to reply. "…I mean- why _should _I listen to you?" She asked hesitantly.

"Because it's _me_." Hiccup said after a moment of silence. Astrid blinked rapidly at this, looking a little mystified as she stared at him. He paused a moment, shaking his head slowly as he took a small step backwards. She looked down at this, rather surprised that he was actually going backwards now instead of forwards. "…But I guess you wouldn't know that." He said softly, voice small as the words passed his lips. "Because you don't remember anything about me."

"Why would you matter?"

The statement was like a punch right in the gut. "Because- you- we…"

Toothless's ears flattened to his head, green eyes going overcast as he looked away. Mistyeyes sighed softly at the scene, ducking her head low and letting her shoulders droop. Shadowclaw and Leafdapple exchanged a swift glance, and Nightflight had closed her eyes as tight as she could. She looked like she wanted to cover her ears, but she had the nerve to remain sitting normally. Toothless looked over at her, torn by now as to what to think towards her. Mistyeyes glanced over at him sharply as she caught him looking Nightflight's way, causing Toothless to bristle with indignation. Where did Mistyeyes get off, ordering everyone around all of a sudden?

Whatever Hiccup was going to say, he obviously thought better of it. He tried his best to shake himself out of his stupor, instead making sure on the facts and details that mattered on hand right now. "You don't have to trust me." He said finally. "And I would…understand…if you didn't." He slowed at the word. "But the truth is, besides all these dragons, who are perfectly safe, I have to add," Astrid glared suspiciously at the ragtag group of Night Furies, looking as if she wanted to disagree. But then again, none of them had made a move towards her, and the only one that did just helped save her from a fall. She couldn't complain about them, not right now anyway. "I'm the only other human around for miles."

"What about my…home?" She asked at once.

"I'll take you there. That's the way we're heading." Hiccup answered at once. "It might be few days' travel with this many dragons on hand, but we'll make it there before the month comes to an end." He didn't mention the fact that Astrid was the one who had concluded such a statement. The boy and girl had sat down off to the side after their talk last night, conversing about the possible defectors or hurdles they would have to dodge around in order to get back to Berk. Astrid had come to the conclusion that it would only take a few days, maybe a little bit longer than it had for the fly to the Cave for them.

"So…I'm stuck with you." She said slowly, the realization dawning on her.

"You don't have to trust me." Hiccup choked out. "But I'm the only person you've got."

Weighing her options, and finding none others what with her blank mind, Astrid once again looked over to the dragons that were clustered behind Hiccup. They all straightened at once at her attention, ears perking and heads tipping to the side quizzically at her stare. "…now I don't remember anything…" She stated in confusion, eyes narrowing with contempt as they swept over the small group. "…because a dragon stared at me for too long…"

"Yeah." Hiccup said softly, wringing his hands tightly in front of him as he looked at her.

She turned her glare back onto him. "I have no idea who I am." She said, Hiccup's shoulders drooping at once. "I'm somewhere I've never seen before. You tell me that we're going home. How do I know where home is?" She left a pocket for Hiccup to interject, but he denied it. Coming to the swift conclusion that he was silent once more, Astrid went on. "Apparently from the way you talk, you expect me to remember you. But I don't. So let's get one thing straight right now." She paced forward stiffly, arm flying out at once and latching onto the front of Hiccup's tunic once more. She pulled him forward, the two of them going nose-to-nose as Astrid looked at him with a silent challenge in her eyes.

When she spoke again, it was through gritted teeth, her words curled backwards with distrust and pent-up irritation. Hiccup met her gaze with his startled one, the only expression that Astrid had seen him wear so far. Was he always this stressed? He looked ready to explode. "If you are lying to me, and you're just feeding me a bunch of lies," She snarled slowly, stressing each word as particularly as she could. "I will personally rip each of your limbs off of you until you're just a torso. And then if you're still goofing off, I'll take it upon myself to ensure that you'll never be able to tell another lie again." She jerked him closer, causing the boy to let out a squawk of alarm. "Got it?" She growled.

"I got it." He gasped.

"Anything you want to _revise_?" She asked invitingly.

"Of course not!" Hiccup said quickly, eyes widening with hurt at the very mention of keeping something from the blonde. "Everything I've told you is true! No matter how unbelievable it may seem." He added the last part with a rather bland look, thinking back on his brief explanation and starting to realize why the girl was so set with thinking he was lying to her. It was a lot to take in, and with a frantic mind such as the one she found herself in right now, he wasn't about to blame her for getting skeptical. But still, the thought of distrust between them was enough to stab him through the heart. "I'd never do anything like lie to you." He said sincerely, expression falling as he looked at her mournfully.

She blinked rapidly at the new tone of voice, immediately snatching her hand away from him, as if he'd burned her. Stumbling backwards, she eyed him carefully, suddenly looking a lot more baffled than she had been a moment ago. Despite himself, Hiccup let a small hint of hope dash itself across his chest. Was she starting to remember him? But when she spoke, it was only to say: "You said there was a pack of those things?" She jabbed an accusing finger the dragons' way.

Hiccup followed her gesture, catching the awkward looks on his friends' faces at the mention of them. "Yeah, there is." He said, going on quickly before Astrid could start to get any more agitated than she already was. "But they're friendly, you'll see. I'll…introduce you." He said, the promise sounding weird on his tongue considering Astrid was right by his side to meet them the first time around. The blonde was still fuming silently, Hiccup turning and pointing towards the ground, to where Ludi was crouched stiffly at Shadowclaw's feet. "Look." He said. "There's a cat right there by them. If they were tame, don't you think they would have killed that thing by now? It'd make an easy snack, don't you think?" Ludi spat crossly his way, bunching out her fur with a furious growl. "Plus, we've been here alone this whole time with them. They know we're friends."

"_They _do." She snapped airily.

"So do the others."

A pregnant pause before: "…You'll take me home?"

"To _our _home, yes."

"And it'll only be for a few days."

"At the very least." He cautioned.

"And the people there will know me? You aren't just bluffing?"

"Your friends and family will be there." Hiccup assured slowly, not at all ready to start into the detail of what went on between them and the villagers before they left. If Astrid got settled with this, he could talk about it more to her. But just explaining the tiniest things was like taking a knife to the chest to him. He didn't even want to sit her down and start to tell her that the people there might not welcome her back. That it might be his fault they would be outcasts in their own island.

"Now, this isn't a rouse?" She asked, for the very last time. "What if you just gave me some kind of weird plant that wiped my memory? What if this is all some weird scandal that you cooked up just to get something from me. Do I have something important? Something that you want?" Quickly, not even knowing what she was pretending to protect, she snapped out again. "Because if that's the case, then I sure as-"

"There's nothing I want from you except-" Hiccup cut himself off before he could finish. _Except for you yourself. All I wanted when I brought you along was to have you by my side. To make me laugh when I needed cheering up, or to stand by me in battle so we could watch each other's backs. Now that I can't have any of that… where does that leave us? _"Except nothing." He said heavily, shaking his head. "There's no smoke and mirrors in this, take my word or leave it. But you have to travel with me anyways, unless you want to live your life out alone."

Astrid puzzled over this for a moment, looking from Hiccup to the ocean to the dragons. Seconds felt like minutes, and Hiccup could have sworn that a million years had passed before Astrid finally straightened. Letting her hands falls down to her side, she righted herself with a tense nod of affirmation. "Alright." She said, voice clipped and reserved by this time. Hiccup could almost see the walls that she had built around herself, and he wondered dismally if he were ever going to be able to tear them back down again. How had he even managed it the first time around? "I want to go home."

"That's where we'll go, then." He promised.

Another silence.

"Take me home." She said simply.

Hiccup looked up at the sky, blinking at the overcast that hung above them. But judging by the central aura of light, he figured it was near nine or ten. "We needed to leave soon anyway. This uh…this took longer than we thought it would." Astrid opened her mouth, probably a million more questions fizzing on her tongue. But she just shook her head swiftly, biting back her words and taking to watching with a defensive expression as the dragons started to march back the way they'd come. "It's okay." He assured her as he caught sight of the anxious look. "They know where to go. And if you want to get back to Berk, you'll have to ride one of them."

"Ride them?" She echoed, eyes wide as if the statement was all-new.

Hiccup hesitated, looking back. He'd started to trek after Toothless, but stopped dead at this new point. How much had she forgotten, exactly? "…Yeah." He said easily, giving her a smile that he hoped looked genuine. "You're really good at it. It'll probably come back easy to you." _Hopefully. She might just have to share Toothless. Maybe Mistyeyes could help Nightflight fly; I wouldn't be too fast on ensuring Astrid to guide Nightflight after this. _"…Just c'mon." He said finally, jerking his head back into the foliage. "I'll explain on the way."

Astrid scowled, looking as if he just suggested sticking her head into dragon dung. But it was either follow him or get lost. Reluctantly, the female trudged after, waves irritation and frustration slamming off of her a million miles an hour. Hiccup waited for her to catch up, but she never did. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that she was keeping a careful distance between them, enough space that she wouldn't hear him when he spoke, but that she wouldn't lose track of him in the unfamiliar terrain. Whenever he tried to slow his step, she would do the same to keep their separation. And whenever he quickened his stride, she would in turn do the same, albeit slower than his own.

She was fixed on staying away from him for now.

Closing his eyes, Hiccup turned back, giving up hope on walking alongside her as he looked back forward. His shoulders slumped forward with a depressive nature, and his steps turned heavier, as if he were carrying a large burden. His mind was blank and dumb now, the teenager unable to think of what he could do without Astrid there to help him out. And now that she was struck with a sudden case of amnesia, he would have to figure out just how much she missed, and try to fill the gap of knowledge. That, or try desperately to get her back.

And he would do that. No matter what it takes, he wasn't going to let Astrid fall behind like an insignificant piece of information. Because she wasn't insignificant. She was brave, kind, beautiful, caring, clever, and witty; he could list just about a million more traits that applied to the girl and yet he would never be able to do her justice. She was indescribable. So how was he supposed to bring her back if he couldn't even put her into words? How much did she remember of him? Absolutely nothing, that was how much.

_Thor, do you just love to watch my heart get ripped out?_

First Toothless forgets him, then his father abandons him, and now Astrid thought he was a liar holding her hostage. And even now that Toothless remembers him, they aren't nearly as close as they had been before, with their old unquestionable relationship. Now their bond was cracked and paved with questions of wonderings. Would it be like that with Astrid, if he ever got her to be the same? Was he destined to lose everything that was important to him?

"Hiccup." The boy was roused at the sound of his name, turning around and looking over at Nightflight. The Night Fury had fallen back to join him, her clouded eyes brimming with unquestionable pain and regret. "I am so sorry." She whispered harshly, ears looked as if they were melted to her head, for all they blended into her scales. "I never meant for anything like this to happen, and I promise that I'll try everything I can to try and fix it. Really, Hiccup I will. I know that I said I didn't want to use them anymore, and I know that they're what caused this in the first place, but maybe I could figure out a way to-"

"It's fine, Nightflight." He said, giving her a weak smile that appeared rather pinched. "It's not your fault." He looked away, ducking his head and letting his bangs fall in front of his eyes with a sorrowful sigh. "It's my fault, after all." He added softly, words barely coming out above a whisper. "I told her it would be fine, I _promised _her. I promised everyone. I was so sure in myself…" He turned back to the Night Fury, blinking slowly. "How can I ever be sure of anything again?" He asked.

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

A/N: This of this as a one-part thing of a chapter. More of this whole ordeal will go on next chapter ((of course)) and so…yeah. :3

I hope I can get as many reviews as I did last time for this one! I start school on Thursday, so that'll be fun. I need feedback to cheer me up! But after I upload this chapter, I've been thinking about it and I've decided I'm gonna make a Tumblr! ((wants to fit in desperately)). I dunno what my name will be, I'm thinking Sandfire Kat but idk. Do any of you have a Tumblr?

Sorry if things are a little confusing in this chapter! Express your questions if you have any, but next chapter will probably clear up a lot of your concerns! I know, this is starting to get depressing, I'm sorry. ((Still on a sad Sherlock kick, I like to eat ice cream at one in the morning and cry over the JohnLock feels, leave me alone)). But so far, this is looking to be a really awesome conclusion to the trilogy! I hope you like it, and I hope you're prepared, because believe me, this isn't going to be the last plot twist I have in store for you all.

So yup! Review tons and I'll try to update before school starts maybe! But then again, it starts this Thursday. How much do you all want an update? ;)


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: So I got a Tumblr! My name on there is sandfirekat because apparently someone already took the name SandfireKat for some reason…if you're going to follow me though, you'd probably want to do it soon, because I'm thinking of changing my name to something else. Something that'll be less familiar to you all so it'll be harder to find XDD

**I've become so numb, I can't feel you there. I've become so tired, so much more aware.**

**I'm becoming this, all I want to do! Is be more like me, and be less like you!**

Numb - Linkin Park

_Voice of reason _

**Inner desires**

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

Nobody spoke for the rest of the walk. Whether or not they were aware of Astrid's silent challenge that Hiccup had noticed himself, they didn't give any sign. Instead, they allowed the thick mesh of sadness, loss, guilt, and awkwardness to create a firm wall in between them. The only contact that was in the group was silent, Toothless and Mistyeyes walking a little ways ahead, their steps taking them so that they were close enough to brush scales. But even still, they didn't meet eye contact, or offer up any more words of encouragement. It was clear by the sickened look that had overcome Hiccup's face that he wasn't in the mood for anything of the sort.

Hiccup would be lying if he said that he didn't like the silence, though. He wanted to be alone, and considering the way that they were going right now, this would always be as close as he could get to the feeling. Walking along wih heavy gait, Hiccup crossed his arms loosely over his chest, green eyes trained on the ground, making it seem as though he were just watching where he was putting his feet. But even as the thought crossed his mind, he knew that it wasn't true at all. Every footstep was another detail. Another thing or another trait that Hiccup asked himself if he'd ever see again about Astrid. Her large smile, her sarcastic remarks, her laugh that she always had whenever he did anything stupid.

How was he supposed to do anything now? The thought was like salt in an open wound, and yet he realized that that was what everyone else was privately wondering as well. Now that there was this problem, how was it going to affect everything else? It was a simple question, and yet underneath it there was too many cracks. Astrid wasn't hurt, she wasn't unable to walk or ride dragons. There was no physical injury showing at all that could exist as an excuse for them to subside in their plans of making haste back to Berk. There was no excuse for them to slow anything down just because of this minor detail.

And that was what it was, of course. Astrid could walk. She could talk, fight, duck, dodge, fly, and everything that she could before. Nothing had changed except her dose of forgetfulness, however big the ordeal may seem. And even if they could see how much it hurt Hiccup to see her deliberately try and space herself away from him, what would the others say? The question caused him to perk at once, lifting his weary eyes from the ground and over towards where Mistyeyes, Toothless, Leafdapple, Nightflight, and Shadowclaw were walking.

They were a few steps ahead, though Hiccup had seen them try and think about doubling back to be alongside him once or twice so far. But they always seemed to think better of the option, shaking the prospect away with an awkward look as they hustled forward to right themselves once more. What did they think about it? He shifted uneasily as he continued to walk, green eyes shimmering with a new kind of worry as he looked at them closely, trying to pin down their emotions or thoughts.

Toothless was the easiest to see through; whether or not that was because this very thing had happened to him, or that Hiccup had simply known him longer than the others was beyond him. But every step that the dragon took seemed to vibrate with anger, sadness, and memories that had gone unspoken between him and his human. Mistyeyes was right by his shoulder, having little to no change about the way she held herself. Her head was level, steps unwavering in their strides. The only way that Hiccup could try and draw conclusion from her was from the way her shoulders were tightened forward, or the way that her ears bent backwards, heavy with emotion.

Shadowclaw and Leafdapple were silent. That was a telling factor in the way that they were feeling; usually the two were chattered like a nest full of birds when they were together. But now they were silent, almost cryptic in their manner. Every now and then, Leafdapple would look Shadowclaw's way, green eyes round with confusion and almost helplessness as she seemed to be waiting for him to assure her that something was going to be alright. But the male was silent, ear flicking every other step as he twitched with nervousness and agitation.

Nightflight was beside herself, walking a few paces behind and away from the group of dragons. Her head was hung miserably, unseeing eyes glaring sharply at the ground, as if it were its fault for whatever had happened. Her tail dragged against the grass, leaving a deep line to part the fronds of foliage. Hiccup blinked, biting his lower lip and figuring that nothing he could say would make her feel any less terrible at the moment; he also knew that she wasn't going to help him too much in trying to sort this out, either.

He tore his gaze away from the disgruntled Night Fury, forcing himself to instead look at the other dragons, taking them all in at once. They were nearly back to the other end of the island; if they went back without a plan, then what could they do then? How would the other dragons react to knowing that Nightflight had messed up yet another spell of her's? It could cause mass hysteria to know that what they were following was a misguided, incapable leader. After all, if a village like Berk didn't have a strong leader, everything would fall apart too.

He paused, steps faltering a little at the mention of his home. Berk. He felt like the name should have jogged something in his mind, a thing that he'd never considered before, or that had never occurred to him. He looked back towards Astrid, watching as the blonde stumbled over a root that she had missed watching out for. She tripped forward, cursing underneath her breath and wincing a little as she tried to shake off the misstep. His heart sank a million feet as he looked at her, desperately wishing in vain that he could ask her. She would know how to solve this problem.

The only thing wrong with that hope was the fact that she _was_ the problem.

Her words rang in his head, voice so achingly familiar and yet so foreign now at the same time. _I dunno. _She'd said, leaning back with a rather relaxed sigh against the bark of the pine tree that they had all sheltered underneath the night before they left Berk. Hiccup had sat beside her, back hunched forward as he had looked despairingly at the ground. The blonde had tried to comfort him back then, locking her arms tightly around her ankles as she pushed her shoulder against his. _I mean- we've got a pretty big splinter in our sides right now. And we're running away. So I'm not really sure that you've changed all that much. You're just sharing the boat, now that you've got us along for the ride._

She'd been trying to make him feel better after he said something…he tried to remember. He felt like it was important. He slowed in his step, green eyes troubled by now as he started to stop. He turned, looking back towards the blonde and watching as she perked at his sudden halt. He opened his mouth to say something, the too-hopeful question burning on his tongue already. But it died as soon as she glared at him, hands curling up what looked like instinctively. "What?" She asked sharply, nearly dragging him out of his thoughts. But just nearly. "What's wrong, why did you stop?"

Her voice was thick and barbed with suspicion, accompanied with a tinge of anger at the notion of him lying to her about safety. Up ahead, the Night Furies were slowing in their strides also, turning back to look at the pair with guarded looks that displayed little to no emotion. Toothless mumbled out something to Hiccup, Astrid whipping back to face the dragon at the pip. But both the sound and reaction were lost on the Viking, who was staring intently at Astrid. Just the sight of her made him realize what he was skipping over. Made him realize what they had to do.

He just prayed to Thor that he had remained blind to the resolution.

That was right, what she said so long ago. The words had almost slipped his mind, and yet they were true as could be. He hadn't changed at all from what he had been like before. It didn't matter that he'd done all these things with the dragons, and it didn't even matter that he came all the way out here. He was still the person that screwed things up, or took wrong turns. He was still the same kid that always disappointed his father. He was still Stoick the Vast's screw-up.

And how had his father reacted whenever he created a barrier of difficulty to get around? How did Stoick handle things when he created a roadblock, or a difficulty? He ignored him. He looked past Hiccup, shoved the boy into the back of his mind, and forced himself to think about the village. Put the Village first, otherwise it'll fall. Worry about Hiccup later, for he was much less of an issue at this point in time.

**Hiccup! As Chief, I'm responsible for the safety of everybody here! **

_I don't want to be like…my dad._

**You should learn that lesson before it's too late!**

_Just being like him is the scariest thing I can think of._

**I know you might not think this is the best way to do things. But this is what has to be done.**

"…Hiccup?" Astrid spoke up, silence settling over the entire group now as their eyes slowly became more concerned. Hiccup realized that he'd been standing stock still, limbs locked together tightly now as his inner mind raced a million miles an hour. He started at the girl's voice, neck snapping up almost painfully as he met her eyes with his own, desperate hope flashing in their depths as he felt a tug on his heart. Her voice sounded so normal all of a sudden, so gentle and yet strong at the same time. She was wondering what was wrong, and that just might show that she was starting to remember him again.

But the kindling flame of vain hope diminished greatly as he took a small step backwards. Her eyes were round with confusion, not worry. Her lips were pulled down with hesitation, not concern. And when he looked at her so rashly all of a sudden, she jerked with surprise immediately, walls being built up again automatically at this new installment. He imagined a turtle in its shell, peeking out for just a moment before ducking away rapidly. Even if it had been a flash of the old Astrid, that was all it was. A flash. A memory. Something that could slip through fingers or dash away in a breeze.

He steeled himself, back straightening into a small arch as he swallowed hard. He looked at Astrid, up and down, calculating silently as his heart screamed at him to stop. **This isn't you, this isn't the way that you work! You **know **your priorities, and you **know** that you care more about her than you do any of those dragons out there! You can make her remember if you try hard enough, or if you give her enough things to work with! Put the operation on hold; you cured Toothless, remember? If you did it once, you can do it again! You just need time.**

_But what about what _they_ want? _Once again, the voice of reason cut through his mantra, snapping it short. He twisted around slowly, as if the movement caused him immense pain and agony. He looked back at the Night Furies, five pairs of eyes staring right back at him. Some stunned, some worried, and some haunted. But they were all looking at him, looking _up_ to him. They were waiting for some kind of move, or some kind of order to follow. Because he was their leader, and he had brought them all the way out here. And whether or not they took into consideration what had just happened, there was a group of a million other dragons, all sitting by the shoreline, looking up at the high sun and wondering what was taking so long, wondering where he was and what he wanted them to do.

_They want what they came out here to get. _The voice urged swiftly, incessant and unflinching in its wake, despite the way that each word was like a lash from a whip. _These dragons have followed you and you alone all this time. It took so long to get where you are right now, and you're going to let the opportunity of rejoining Berk with other Night Furies in tow slip you by. Choose what you're going to do, because it's now or never. _He turned, looking slowly from Astrid to Toothless and Mistyeyes, who stood at the head of the others.

One on each side.

Which side would he chose?

Two choices. Fifty, fifty.

A game of chance.

He shattered the silence, lifting his chin in an almost defiant angle. He looked straight forward, features expressionless as he refused to look at either of the issues at hand. He stared into the heart of the island ahead of him, focusing on everything he could. The bark of the trees, the grainy rocks scattered around them, the way that the ocean splashed not too far forward. And when he spoke, it was with a deaf ear that he listened to how dead and dull his voice was. "We're not going to tell the others." He said in a monotone voice, the flat line much too different from his normal upbeat chirps.

Mistyeyes's ears perked slowly, a small grimace on her face. "…What?" She asked, almost astonished. "...But Hiccup, that means..." Her blue eyes flickered over to Astrid, such a swift glance that he wondered dimly whether or not it even happened. "That means you wouldn't..." She stopped short, not finishing her words.

Still, he didn't look at them. Straight forward. If he didn't look at them, he wouldn't see what they thought about his actions. Whether he liked it or not, he was in charge of these dragons. If he was going to finish what he started, now matter how painful it would be, he had to make sure that he was fully focused in on the task at hand. "We're not going to tell the other Night Furies." He repeated, dead voice raising in volume just slightly. Astrid's brow creased at this, but Hiccup forced himself not to notice. "We're going to make sure that nothing about this gets leaked, okay?"

When nobody replied, he turned on his heel, moving so that he could take both of them in at the same time. "Did you hear me?" He demanded, voice suddenly rocketing up into a sharp yell. Mistyeyes shrunk backwards at the shout, blue eyes widening somewhat as she ducked back. Astrid did the same, a trace of fear in her eyes. "We're not going to say a _word_!" He jabbed a finger towards Mistyeyes and Nightflight, indicating Leafdapple as well. "Nothing! Not to Talon, not to Clear Sky, and definitely not any of the younglings!"

The females nodded rapidly, Toothless staring mournfully at his human with a shade of sorrow and depression mingled together. But Hiccup was too busy turning over to Astrid. As he looked at her frightened look, feeling a tremor of fear shake him for a heartbeat. A small voice in the recesses of his mind urged him to backtrack. **Take it back. You can do it. You know you're the only chance of her regaining her memory. Without you, she has no chance. **But he ripped himself off of the thought with a push that took his breath away. There was no going back, he knew that for sure now. He'd made the decision. "And you make it seem like nothing happened too." He said, voice clipped as he refused to show any emotion towards her.

To his surprise, an almost offended look swept across her face. "Excuse me." She scoffed, hands on her hips as she leaned backwards slightly. Her blue eyes were sharper now, like chips of ice or flint. Hiccup remained blank though. Whether he wanted to or not, he was going to _have_ to act like his father. If he wanted at all to get the Night Furies back to Berk, he needed to focus.

And yet it was hard…was it this hard for his Dad? Or had it gotten easier over time?

"I don't even _know _what happened." Astrid retorted tartly, voice sour as she looked Hiccup up and down. "So how on Earth would I try and cover it up?" But before Hiccup could even try to answer her, she shook her head swiftly. "I won't do anything I'm not supposed to." She concluded by herself. "I don't even know for sure what I do on a _normal _basis anymore either, I guess." She turned, looking from one way to another, thinking over something mentally it seemed. But then her gaze rested on Hiccup, however scrutinizing it may have been. "You were right before, then." She assured him reluctantly. "You _are _the only person I've seen. So far, anyway."

"I'm the only person here for miles." He stated dully, looking away towards the shore. "There are other dragons, but you'll be find with them. They're friendly enough, and you…" He glanced at her quickly, voice raising slightly in volume as he tried to keep his throat from choking back on him. "…you really enjoyed being with them before…you know." He left the ending up to her to decide, shaking his head and going on as best he could. "We're going to get there soon, so you may as well just…not talk. You know…make it seem like nothing happened."

"And why would I do that?" She asked invitingly.

He took this time to throw her a warning look. She quieted somewhat at the expression, but she also flared behind her frown of dejection, a spark of her attitude welling up in the back of her eyes. "Maybe because I know more about what's going on than you do." He snapped, voice a little bit harsher than he meant it to be. The blonde stiffened at the agitated spike, but bit back her sharp retort wisely. Shaking his head, Hiccup cleared it as best he could. "Sorry." He said lowly, voice definitely smaller than it had been before.

Might as well not even say the phrase, though. He was much too guilty to put into words. What would happen now that Astrid was like this? Would she stay this way forever? Unable to know anything for sure, she would spend the rest of her life wandering in the darkness, floundering for some sort of grasp of her former self. Hiccup had tried already to get her to remember, even resorting to giving her a brief -but detailed- description of her. Whether or not he could eventually get her to remember, he had to dig the thought away.

Remembering, filing, and burying. Going through every single thing about Astrid, he buried it away as far as he could. Everything he loved…everything he could revisit and fill the void with went into his mental dump. Pounds and tons of other thoughts and worries would smother them all down, taking the importance factor like a winning champion that had beaten out their opponent. "But you'll just have to do what I say. I'm in charge here." His voice was firm, adamant in its own right. He was a leader, and now he fully saw the price that came with the title. Now that he'd lost everything though, he was more determined than ever to set the record straight. He was not going to suffer for nothing.

"Just…put on a smile." He said. "Pretend like you know what you're doing."

Astrid studied him closely before: "What's with that?"

"What's with what?" Hiccup asked blankly.

She pointed at him. "That." _Inquisitive. _Yet another thing to go down in the list of things that Astrid had been. She seemed to still hold that trait, along with all her other ones, of course. But still…it wasn't the same. Forcing that one under with the rest of them, he looked at her expectantly, waiting for elaboration. She shook her head aimlessly, looking a tad confused now. "Just a few minutes ago, you weren't wanting to shut up." She pointed out. "Now you make it seem like talking to me is some kind of big hassle for you."

"It's not a hassle." Hiccup said tightly. _It just can't be a priority anymore. Can you understand? _

A whole year might have passed with Hiccup pinned underneath Astrid's sky-blue orbs. She slowly lowered her arms, crossing them over her chest instead. She leaned backwards onto her heels, digging them into the ground. "I have another question." She decided, Hiccup remaining silent as he continued to stare back at her steadily. "How do you know me?" She asked simply, tone suddenly sprinkled with interest. "I don't remember anything about you, but…that must be wrong, considering you're the only one for miles. So why am I out here? With you. Besides the whole joining-together-two-sides thing. I know I've only been here for a few minutes, but…" She looked around with a small grimace. "This place stinks." She turned back to Hiccup. "So why did I come out here all this way? It must have something to do with you, right?"

Hiccup hesitated, aware of the dragons' eyes boring into him, waiting with bated breath for his answer. They were obviously waiting for the moment that would surely come: he would tell her that he loved her all over again and maybe she would even manage to remember him. The world would turn right-side-up again and the sun would shine a little bit more through the clouds that shrouded the sky. That was how the story would end if this was just some lullaby for a fitful child that refused to go to sleep.

But this wasn't a story, this was real life.

"We're friends." He said shortly but firmly. Astrid perked at this, seeming to think that the connection made sense considering that he had done so much to save her from falling off the side of the island. Of course there wasn't a single thought of romance for her, she must have looked right over his head as soon as she first saw him, just like she did before. But that was perfect, he told himself brokenly. It fixed so many problems. "And you came just because you thought that it was the right thing to do." He explained further. "You became friends with the dragons," He gestured to the Night Furies, who purred happily at this. "and you really were a big help in getting them all here." He shrugged a little uselessly. "Hopefully you'll still be a help. That is, until we get back to Berk."

Astrid contemplated this before nodding slowly. "I want to go home."

"That's Berk." He said, thinking dryly that they already had this conversation before.

"And you don't want the….dragons…to know what happened…back there?" She spoke slowly, tripping over details, names, and scenes. Her blue eyes were trained on the ground, narrowed into concentrating slits as she tried to connect the dots as rapidly as she could. "I guess they wouldn't know the difference…you said I couldn't 'talk' to dragons before, so nothing would change."

"Just smile. And don't freak out." He added as an afterthought, a little bit of his old humor ghosting its way into his tone.

She sniffed airily, cautious now as she glanced over to the other Night Furies. "As long as they don't try and jump on me again." She growled.

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

The dragons were waiting for them when they got back into the clearing. As soon as they rustled their way through the foliage, heads shot their way, and attention was immediately focused onto their group. Dragons leapt to their feet, tails twitching with anxiousness as their eyes went to Hiccup at once. He smiled at all of them, trying his best to convey his normal can-do attitude. Everything was fine, nothing was wrong. Everything was perfect, and they were going to leave within the next hour. Everything was peachy.

Astrid stiffened at once by his side, eyes rounding out with surprise and horror at the sight of so many strange things in front of her. Hiccup glanced her way, worry creasing over him just like the clouds up in the sky. He whispered out a few encouragements to the girl, feeling a pang of nervousness shake his legs back and forth. What would they do if their lie was found out? If they were discovered in that way, it would be worse considering that they tried to deceive the Pack in the first place.

"It's okay." He hissed through the corner of his mouth. "Calm down."

"They're everywhere…." She mumbled, sounding fazed.

"They're all okay." He whispered sharply.

"But….but-"

"Hiccup! Hiccup's back!" Amber crowed happily, cutting off their hisses as she shot up on short, unsteady legs. Wings flying out cutely at her sides, she rushed forward, claws throwing up loose tufts of grass as she made for Hiccup. Remaining staring at Astrid helplessly for a moment, he took a slow breath before turning around to face Amber. At once, he forced a large smile on his face, leaning down and extending his arms out for the little youngling. She purred happily at this, pushing off the ground and landing in the boy's embrace.

"Oof!" He gasped at the impact, wincing a little as he gave a breathless laugh. "You're too big to be running around like that." He chastised gently, breath scraping in his throat as he put her down on solid ground. Amber chuffed with laughter at the comment, turning around in a quick circle of excitement. Astrid stilled a little at Hiccup's side, hands still clenched tightly around her stomach. But her shoulders slackened a little at the sight of the baby, a spark of emotion other than fear or terror going through her gaze.

"I've been practicing my flying, Hiccup!" Amber reported, exaggerating her point by flapping up into the air a little more than a foot off the ground. Hiccup watched her for a moment, genuinely impressed as he smiled down at the female. But then she staggered in her wing pattern, landing back clumsily on the ground as she stumbled. The boy automatically reached forward, propping her up and helping her to right herself.

"A little better." He commented gently. "Still needs some work, though."

"Yeah, I know." She scoffed, looking upset by her slip-up. But then she brightened. "I'll get better at it though! I'll get to be just like Nightflight with my flying! You won't have to jump after me anymore, I promise!" Nightflight stirred for once at this, perking as her name was mentioned. She flushed with embarrassment at the hidden praise, ears flattening with both modesty and still-lingering guilt as she ducked away.

Mistyeyes glanced at her, eyes softening as she leaned over and nudged her encouragingly on the shoulder. The look in her eyes obviously showed that she wanted the Night Fury to hold herself up a bit higher, and yet Nightflight ignored the touch. Mistyeyes pulled back with a small frown, looking as if she wanted to say something. But then she shook her head aimlessly, looking reigned to the fact that there was nothing she could do at the moment. Instead, she turned back to the scene at hand, taking a small step to sidle away from Toothless.

"That's good, because I didn't put that on my schedule." Hiccup teased her lightly, reaching over and patting the little one's head before pushing himself up to his feet once more. He looked down at the youngling, jerking his head off to the side. "I'd go find your mom." He offered her, making sure that it was more of a demand than anything else. "We're going to leave soon, and you wouldn't want to get left behind."

Amber's tail curled with happiness at this, a trill of excitement coming from the female as she hopped to her feet once more. She turned with another cheery goodbye, tail held high in the air as she pranced back the way she had come. Hiccup watched her go until he saw her meet with the adult, making sure that she knew where she was going, scatterbrained as she was. Then he turned over to Astrid, giving her an imploring look. "See?" He prompted gently, voice careful, since he knew from experience how prickly she could be with her attitude. "They aren't bad."

Astrid looked thoughtful at this, giving a hesitant nod. "Okay. Yeah, I see." She murmured, almost to herself.

Hiccup started to say something else to her, but shook his head. Instead, he paced forward, clearing his throat briefly before raising his voice to a shout. There was no need to call for attention, since the dragons were already alert for the boy to start dishing out instructions. After all, the sun was nearly at its highest point now; if they didn't get moving soon, they would only get a few miles under their claws before they had to stop again. "Alright, everyone!" He said instead. "Sorry we took so long!" He glanced back decisively at those behind him, thinking over his excuse before going on.

"To dispel any rumors, we just went into the woods to talk about our traveling plans." He explained, noticing acutely the way that disappointed looks seemed to come over those of the crowd. "I know that there were a few rumors…but rest assured…nothing happened." He hoped he sounded much more confident than he thought he did, but there were no skeptical looks facing him in the crowd. Only those of earnest trust and expectance. "So." Hiccup stated, stressing the word now. "We're going to keep flying today. Same kind of formation: those weakest or with younglings in the middle and the others around the edge. Toothless and I will be in front, Mistyeyes and Clear Sky on the edges, and Leafdapple and Shadowclaw in the back."

There were no outbursts or arguments with the plan, just silence and small nods every now and then. Hiccup nodded himself at this, giving them all a small smile. "Alright, then." He said. "We've already burned out most of the daylight, so we're going to have to get moving on this one. So everyone get situated as fast as you can! Make sure everyone is here, and if anyone is missing, come tell me or any of the others." Mummers of agreements rose like the tide, and Hiccup started to make his way for Toothless. "We're gonna leave in a few minutes, so hustle!"

At once, the crowd snapped to life. Dragons jumped up, skirting around the edges of the crowd or rushing to find the place they were in yesterday. Conversation sprang up between others, and hasty greetings or calls to friends were echoed throughout the mass. Hiccup watched them for a moment, feeling somewhat saddened by the sight rather than excited at the prospect of more traveling. With a small sigh, he turned, looking back at his friends with the same, fixed, blank look.

"Mistyeyes, you go to the side with Clear Sky." He said, turning to indicate Nightflight as well. "And take Nightflight with you, too. Astrid won't be able to fly her properly, and something bad will probably happen if I let her." Astrid looked at him furiously at this. "She should be fine flying on her own, though by now." He glanced Nightflight's way, waiting for her to snap out a sharp retort about how she was more than capable of taking care of herself. But the Night Fury looked distracted, distant even as she stared blindly forward. And when Mistyeyes prodded her shoulder, the female padded after the gray dragoness without another word.

"Then you and Leafdapple go to the back." He repeated, looking at Shadowclaw.

The male dipped his head. "Sure thing, Hiccup." He said, flicking Leafdapple on the shoulder and gesturing for her to follow. The female bounded after him, throwing a curious look over her shoulder back to Hiccup as she trailed behind. He watched the pair go until it was just the trio of them, turning this time to Astrid, who looked rather nervous now. "You ready?" He asked.

"You mean we're going to fly now?" She asked.

"That's the way you travel, isn't it?" He prompted.

"Well, I wouldn't know." She flashed.

"I guess that's true." Hiccup said dismissively, situating Toothless's saddle before stepping back. Looking at the blonde with raised eyebrows, he gestured towards the mechanism invitingly, waiting for her to board first. She started to make a move forward, but hesitated, stopping her arms right before she could touch the leather. Instead, she stepped backwards, fixing Hiccup with yet another spaced-out look.

"Is it safe?"

"Of course." He answered shortly.

"You're sure?"

"Pretty sure."

Eyeing him carefully and a little bit doubtfully as well, Astrid finally decided to take his word. Shaking her head all the way through, she hoisted herself up with a deep grimace. Swinging her leg over, she sat on Toothless, shifting back and forth with a small mumble of complaint. Hiccup watched her carefully, masked expression hiding the pang of sadness that shook him from head to toe. She looked just like she had before when she first went on a ride with Toothless. Part of him wanted to do the same thing he did before: show her all the wonderful things about dragons firsthand, or sweep her up into the air with definite ease.

But he couldn't focus on it. Over and over the thought occurred, and over and over it tore at his chest. Shaking his feelings free, Hiccup started to do the same, when suddenly Toothless swerved. Astrid made a sharp squeal at the sudden jarring movement, tightening her hold on the saddle like a person would a horse that moved too fast. Toothless paused at the squeak, moving much more smoothly as he remembered Astrid's condition. But he didn't stop, moving so that he was facing his human. Green eyes boring deep into Hiccup's own, Toothless spoke in a small hiss, even though he knew quite plainly that with all this rukus around them, the girl wouldn't be able to hear them either way. "Why did you do that?" He demanded in a harsh whisper.

Hiccup feigned confusion, trying to brush off the question as he attempting to step around the Night Fury. "Why did I do what?" He asked bad-temperedly, unable to keep his frustration and anger in check by now. Toothless growled softly at the new change, but he did not seemed surprised by it. All the same, though, he sharpened with both concern and anger at the boy.

"Why didn't you tell her the truth?" He demanded. "Don't you know you could have-"

"I know what I need to do, Toothless." Hiccup whispered fiercely, suddenly rounding on his friend. Astrid was oblivious to their conversation, looking past them as she studied the crowd around them. Her blue eyes were narrowed with interest, awe, and thoughtfulness, the conversation between boy and dragon going right over her head. But Hiccup met Toothless's glare with his own, teeth clenched tightly together. "Don't question me, okay? You think it's easy for me? It's twice as difficult as last time." Hiccup pressed. "I need to do this, and-"

"Do you know the _guilt_ that I went through afterwards?" Toothless asked sharply, breaking through his words. "Hiccup, I know what you might be thinking, but it's not right. It's not fair for you or for her. The longer you keep her in the dark, the worse it'll end up being. You nearly died last time because of how long I had forgotten. And now I have to live with that fact that I was nearly the one who murdered you. I'm not saying it'll be as bad as it was last time, but I'm just saying that you can't-"

"I'm the leader here." Hiccup spat. "I know what's best for everyone."

"But if you would just listen-"

"I don't want to listen! _I _know what's right! Not you! So you shut up and listen to me!"

Toothless stiffened at this, going rigid with surprise and shock at the unnatural change in the boy's demeanor. Hiccup was breathing heavily now, shoulders heaving with the effort of getting in enough breath to fill his lungs. His green eyes smoldered with anger as he glared at Toothless, feelings of anger and rage boiling underneath his skin like fire ants. But nothing could have prepared him for what the Night Fury said next. The male scoffed, giving a sharp glare the boy's way. "I thought you _didn't _want to be like Stoick." He growled.

Hiccup tensed at once, eyes widening as he realized what he had just done. He opened his mouth, trying to stutter out a small apology. But Toothless looked away, glaring over to the side as his ears flattened to the sides of his head. He didn't even try to look back at Hiccup.

The teen stood still for a few moments, head reeling far too much for him to even make a move. But then, like a puppet being pulled by strings, he boarded the dragon, sitting himself numbly in front of Astrid. The blonde was slowly calming down, and as Hiccup deftly strapped himself in, she leaned forward, seeming to warm up enough for conversation.

"So…how'd this all come to be?" She prompted.

He said nothing, staring straight ahead.

"…What's Berk like?" She asked after a moment's silence.

Straight forward. If he looked at nothing else, maybe it would all melt away.

"…Are you okay?" She asked again, one of the questions unlike the others.

"…I don't know." Hiccup croaked softly.

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

A/N: So yeah, I'm freaking tired. First full week of school. Saturday. Two AM.

Please shoot me some feedback and some props for this one XD

Sorry for all the angst! ((Not really lol)) But action will pick up soon, so calm down ;3

So yeah! Follow me on Tumblr! And shoot me a review! ;D

By the way, High School sucks.

Just in case you all were wondering.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: So I was literally sitting at dinner last night and my dad just looks up and says: "Oh yeah guys, you might wanna start thinking about what you'll do if we move to Florida after this school year. Because it's something that we might do."

I just looked up shocked from my food, I was like: "Wat."

So…apparently I gotta spend Junior and Senior year tripping around Florida trying to reestablish myself…so that's that.

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

The Great Hall, once a place of merriment and socialism, was now empty and lonely-looking. There was no talking filling the gaps of silence, there were no Vikings around to create the melody of shuffling feet, and there were absolutely no interesting conversations floating around. The tables and benches were bare as the trees that they had first come from, for nobody was inside to fill the quarters. The only people in the vast Hall was the ragtag group of teenagers, and even they didn't do such a good job of creating a distracting conversation.

Fishlegs was sitting near the end of their table, anxiously waving his hands in wide gestures as he talked a mile a minute like he always did. Currently, he was preaching about all the ways that Meatlug could make herself useful around the house, even though just a few seconds ago it seemed he was going over the history of Berk. The person who had the wonderful luck of sitting by him was Ruffnut, who looked bored out her mind as she stared with wide eyes down at the table top.

Snotlout and Tuffnut were on the other end, trying to match each other in an arm wrestling competition. But so many fights and shouts of 'foul' had been shared that they were pretty much just sitting there glaring at each other silently. Accompanied with the fighting teens and the half-bored-to-death-one, the place was just filled with Fishlegs's useless chatter. And while Ruffnut was trying to turn a deaf ear like Snotlout and Tuffnut were doing, it was kind of hard when you were sitting right next to the person. His voice was right by her ear, which was ringing from the amount of information it was expected to soak in.

Finally, Ruffnut spoke up, her voice dull and flat. Fishlegs was right in the middle of telling them all about how Meatlug heated up their house last night pretty effectively. Whether or not he meant she had almost burned it down was beyond her, and probably beyond everyone considering that no one else was bothering to listen. So she showed her disinterest fully, speaking up as she kept her eyes down on the wood. "This…sucks." She sighed airily, shoulders hunching forward as a disgruntled expression swept over her features.

"Yeah, no kidding." Tuffnut growled, actually agreeing with his sister for once. The prospect was a surprising one at least, Snotlout and Fishlegs perking at the realization that the two weren't fighting. The stun of the moment even managed to quell Fishlegs's story, the boy not even trying to get their attention back onto him. "You'd think that with all this stuff going on, it'd make the place more interesting." He went on sourly, looking around the empty Hall around them. "But it's just boring now." The contempt in his voice was enough; both Tuffnut and Ruffnut didn't do boring.

Snotlout snorted in reply, leaning back with a shake of the head. His expression was creased with irritation and anger, both of which weren't uncommon in the boy. But still, there was a certain kind of change in him as well, which signaled that the emotions came from a deeper source than they usually did. "Everyone's gone all the time, and they don't even bother to tell us why." His jaw locked backwards with a trace of envy. "And then when we try and join one of the stupid 'search parties' they just ignore us." He blanked for a moment, unable to say anything out of fury. But then he raised his hands into the air wildly. "They refused _my _help! _Mine_!"

"It's just 'cause we're friends with them." Fishlegs stated, always the one to be irritatingly-logical. Snotlout turned his sharpened glare over towards him, but the boy didn't even react under the look for once. "Stoick doesn't trust us enough to let us out into the forest. He doesn't know how much we know, and if we do something like meet up with Astrid and Hiccup away from the others, then everything would fall apart, now wouldn't it?" The dark-haired teen opened his mouth to reply, but Fishlegs was already shaking his head. "Even if it's unlike Stoick to make himself so known, you can't argue that his suspicions don't come from out of thin air. We could just as easily be on Hiccup's side. We _could _know where they are."

"But we _don't_!" Snotlout snapped with an angered little shift in his chair. Fishlegs sighed, shrugging with a look that said: 'What-are-you-going-to-do?' But the answer only made the hot-headed Viking even worse. "It's stupid that we can't leave the village! This place is so _**boring**_!" As if to emphasize his words, he leaned over, grabbing one of the dirty plates they had used for lunch and throwing it as hard as he could. The group didn't look after it, only listening for the dull thunk as it hit the wall opposite of them. The boy huffed angrily, holding his head on his knuckles. "When Astrid asked for our help, I didn't think she meant that afterwards we'd be slowly dying of boredom!"

"I wonder what they were up to, though." Fishlegs said eagerly, not even paying attention to Snotlout's mounting anger as he leaned forward once more. But the others did seem interesting with this new point, turning over to look at him with expectant looks. When nobody spoke, he shook his head, backtracking with a hurried pace. "Hiccup and Astrid, I mean." He elaborated to the confused faces. "After all, Astrid looked pretty worried when she asked for our help, you know? And we didn't even _see _Hiccup. And come to think of it, we didn't see any of the Night Furies either, not even Toothless! And we still haven't seen them! They must be doing something really important."

"Astrid made it _sound _like it was pretty important." Ruffnut mumbled.

"And since the Village is so riled up about things, it makes sense that Stoick knows more than he's letting on." Fishlegs said, branching off of Ruffnut's comment. Before now, it would have been considered terrible, or totally unjustified for someone to have so casually accused the Chief of withholding information. But now it was the complete opposite; it was common knowledge that the island was in the dark now. And with the Chief hardly ever coming out anymore, it wasn't like they would get punished for what they said. "Obviously Astrid and Hiccup are trying to start something again.

"And we haven't even mentioned the whole ordeal about that female being back around here. The one that caused all of this in the first place? I'd guess that's what Stoick is so worried about." Fishlegs hesitated a moment, forehead wrinkling with a sudden sense of confusion. "But…why would Hiccup try and connect with her? For a second time, I mean. It's not like we didn't see what she did before, right? It makes you wonder what they have in their heads."

"What do they _ever_ have in their heads?" Snotlout snarled underneath his breath.

Silence again, insufferable and boring as ever before. Fishlegs opened his mouth to reply to his friend, but then snapped it shut as he seemed to think better of it. Instead, he looked away awkwardly, seeming to be the only person to think his statements as thought-provoking. He was just starting to mull over the thoughts though, when all of a sudden, he straightened, his eyes widening considerably all of a sudden as he noticed something.

"Wanna go to the Ring?" Snotlout yawned finally, looking over to Tuffnut. "We could-"

"Guys, stop." Fishlegs hissed suddenly, whirling around to face the other teenagers around him. Immediately, they looked up with a trace of alarm, unnerved by the sudden interjection. Outside, there was a sound of footsteps coming towards them, shadows playing in the gap underneath the door as it signaled new arrivals. The teenagers sat stock still for a minute, watching the oncoming figures carefully as they tried to discern who it was.

There was gruff voice, rough in its tone and words as it spat out angry grumbles of discontent. Then there was another one, much more gentle and calm in its tone in comparison to the other. It took a moment for his brain to buffer, but when it did: "It's Gobber and Stoick!" Snotlout said, surprisingly the first one to catch onto what was going on.

Fishlegs looked over at Snotlout, taken aback at the sudden interest that seemed to come off the boy in waves. He opened his mouth to ask what it was all about, suddenly anxious as to what the odd light in his eyes meant. But before he could get a word in edgewise, Snotlout suddenly grabbed Tuffnut by the wrist, dropping off of his perch and yanking his friend after him. "What!?" Fishlegs exclaimed, getting to his feet with a risky glance towards the door. "Snotlout, what're you doing?" He hissed, trying to see what the teen was up to. When he didn't reply, Fishlegs shook his head rapidly. "Snotlout, get out from under the table!"

"Get down!" Snotlout whispered in turn, completely ignoring him as he hunkered underneath the oak.

"What?" Fishlegs repeated incredulously.

Ruffnut snickered at this, smiling now as she followed her brother's lead. The girl leaned backwards, slipping down neatly and crowding underneath the table top with the others. Fishlegs blanched, unsure on what to do as he looked from the door to back down at them, trying to connect the dots as quick as he could. Ruffnut rolled her eyes at the spacing that Fishlegs was going through, shooting him an irritable look. "Get down here!" She whispered fiercely, scooting backwards so that she, Tuffnut, and Snotlout were in a tight knot towards the corner. "Unless you want to get yelled at for standing there like we normally are!"

"I'm not going to-" He broke off, looking over once more to the doorway. Across the room, it was starting to open, Gobber and Stoick starting into the room. Cursing underneath his breath, Fishlegs ducked down rapidly, out of ideas or arguments. After all, Ruffnut was right when she said that he'd get yelled at either way. With the way that the Chief was so pent-up nowadays, it didn't really matter what he did, he'd still get punished. Might as well just follow the crowd's example and whatever they were doing. Safety in numbers and all that.

Dropping down by the others, Fishlegs scrunched himself up as best as he could, not able to hide quite as easily as the others in the group. But all together, they managed to stuff themselves in the far corner of their table. Frankly, Fishlegs was thanking his lucky stars that they had chosen the table farthest back in the first place. Hopefully Stoick and Gobber wouldn't walk far enough to have a chance to spot them hiding away. And if they did, he had to start thinking of an excuse he could give that wasn't just a total bluff.

"Now maybe we'll be able to find out what's going on." Snotlout whispered.

"Or we could all get into trouble!" Fishlegs retorted sharply, glaring in the boy's direction. "This is a stupid plan, Snotlout! We're going to get caught all because of you, you know that, right?" Snotlout waved him off dismissively, visually throwing the idea away. Fishlegs fumed, cheeks puffed out with anger. "Snotlout, I swear." He growled. "If we get caught, I'm going to-"

"Shhh!" Snotlout hissed, awkwardly leaning around Tuffnut as he pointed toward the door. "Everyone shut up!"

The group did as they were told, not wasting a moment as they snapped closed like a clam. And just in time too, as the door swung open with a loud sweep, Gobber and Stoick coming inside. The Chief was leading the way it seemed, despite the fact that he had been the one complaining loudly only a moment before. Gobber was a few paces behind, shutting the door quickly behind them as he followed suit inside. The man was right in the middle of saying something, Fishlegs able to see the way that he was shaking his head as he moved. "…just saying that we might need to slow down and think a little bit more." He was explaining, his voice obviously showing that he had tried his conversation before.

"We can't stop, Gobber. You of all people should know that." Stoick growled, already turning to pacing back and forth before he even came to the center of the Hall. Gobber sighed airily at this, expression falling over his face that conveyed the message that he in fact did not know why they couldn't just stop. But Stoick didn't pause in his strides, looking down at the ground with a narrowed expression of held-in fury and anger as he growled underneath his breath for a moment or two. But then he sighed heavily, throwing his arms up into the air wildly. "I don't know why you dragged me out here in the first place." He said in a rush. "I have too much to do already."

"Yeah, but you're just doing the wrong stuff." Gobber sighed, only having a small bit of patience in his tone with this one. Stoick's steps faltered a little bit at this, but he did not stop. Tuffnut and Ruffnut exchanged twin smirks at this new twist, apparently finding some sort of interest in this new development. But Fishlegs only felt a small tremor of fear and nervousness. If Stoick was this angry right now, how would he react if he found out that they were underneath a table watching them? "Can't you see that it might be high time to stop all of this, Stoick?" Gobber urged, not bothering to be quiet since he thought that they were alone. That was probably why they had come here in the first place; everyone else would be out and about doing their forced-on chores.

"Stop what?" Stoick asked in exasperation.

"Well, we've been at it for too long." Gobber snapped, loosing tolerance faster than he could acquire it. His voice raised a little bit at this, and he took a moment to calm himself before starting over, controlling his temper level significantly better. He backtracked a little bit, a hint of a sigh in his speech. "Look, Stoick. Things have gone far enough. We're out there in the forest day and night every day, searching the same spots and calling for the same people who never show up." He paused a minute before: "I know that you're worried about Hiccup, but-"

"I'm not worried about _Hiccup._" Stoick snarled, immediately veering away from his set pacing to advance up towards his friend. Gobber didn't step backwards to his credit, but he did look away at once, as if unable to bring himself up to face what the Chief had turned into. Stoick glared sharply into Gobber's eyes, fists clenched at once at the subtle accusation of sentiment. "I'm worried about this _village_, Gobber. Do you understand? The village is my main priority, _I am it's leader. _And now that this Night Fury business might start up again, I _have _to make sure that we're one step ahead.

"It's not because of Hiccup, it's _never _been about Hiccup." Gobber closed his eyes at this, wincing away as if the words had hurt. But Stoick was relentless in his words, refusing to stop at the notion of heartache. "I am a Chief, Gobber, and that means that I can't pay attention to things like that." The man stiffened at this, but did not dare to interject. "The reason we're out in the forest and ocean searching every day is only because of the Night Fury. We're out there to find it, capture it, and then to make sure that it never comes back to Berk again. It had enough nerve to do it already, and we're going to make sure that it regrets it."

Stoick paused in his words, gasping unevenly for air. Gobber took the moment at hand, narrowing his eyes suddenly as he looked at Stoick rather oddly. It was the normal stare he used to always give the man when Hiccup either did something wrong or caused an issue. Back before Toothless came to the island, of course. It was the same look that said: 'It-Happened-Again-But-It's-Not-Your-Fault' only this time there was a definite sense of anger in his eyes.

Fishlegs shifted uncomfortably, suddenly realizing that they weren't supposed to be here. Something could definitely go wrong, and he was suddenly feeling terrible in sitting into this conversation. He straightened, turning around and leaning over to poke Snotlout's arm. The boy had been engrossed in the scene in front of them, jerking with surprise at the touch. He turned, throwing Fishlegs a look. 'We shouldn't be here.' Fishlegs mouthed silently, eyes widening considerably at this.

Snotlout shook his head, looking back with a frown as he chose to ignore his friend.

"You can't pay attention to things like that?" Gobber repeated, voice tinged with not only disbelief, but a small hint of anger as well. Stoick sighed heavily at this, giving something that closely resembled a roll of the eyes as he turned away. But Gobber would have none of it, stepping forward and clapping a hard hand on the Chief's shoulder, spinning him around and forcing him to look his way. "This 'thing' is your _son_, and I don't think you're so blind to the idea as you like to think."

"Are you calling me a liar, Gobber?" Stoick asked in shock.

"No, I'm just saying that you're not thinking things through as much as you're supposed to be." He pressed relentlessly. "I think that revenge enough isn't as strong a motivator as other things." He paused, a little awkwardly. But then he shook himself out of the feeling, voice firm as he pushed himself along. "If it was just something like bringing back the Night Fury, you wouldn't be this obsessed. You're worried about Hiccup, Stoick, and that's fine to admit. But-"

"I'm bringing down a beast that's a threat to my village." Stoick snapped, breaking through his speech at once, not even pausing to let the man finish his unspoken thought. "I don't _need _another reason."

"You do when you put it over the needs like farming or hunting! Or blacksmithing! Or-"

"Gobber, I'd suggest that you stop right there." Stoick growled, suddenly growing dangerous as he glared at his friend. Fishlegs shifted uneasily, swallowing thickly at the new look in the man's eye. He'd never seen the Chief like this before, and it was more than frightening. Gobber's mouth went into a thin line, but he didn't object to the advice. There was a pregnant pause, in which Stoick looked as if he were sorting though mountains and mountains of thoughts, going through them in an angered haze. But he finally managed to start talking once more, getting over his mental hurdle. "This is the last time we're going to have this conversation." Stoick hissed finally.

"Then is this the part where you admit that I'm right?" Gobber demanded sourly.

Stoick fumed, but did not answer him outright. "The Night Fury _is _our number one priority." He said adamantly. "It's our number one priority, and it'll _stay _that way until it is found. Nothing you say or do will change my mind. It'll surpass food, work, and labor, because if that thing isn't found and killed, then the entire Village is going to be wiped out, those other jobs won't even _exist_ anymore. So until the beast shows itself, we're going to keep up the searches. Is that understood?" It obviously wasn't a question.

Gobber didn't reply for a moment, staring with a disgruntled look Stoick's way. It was clear by the look on his face that he thought this conversation would have turned out a lot better between them. But it didn't seem to be changing anything. He sighed softly, looking down towards the ground with a small shake of the head. "So…we find the Night Fury." He said simply, stating the option with a hard edge. Stoick perked at this, turning over and looking at Gobber with a grudging sense of interest. The blonde shrugged uselessly, gesturing an expression of exasperation. "What then? Don't you think that the people searching should know what to do?" He paused, before elaborating. "You haven't told them yet."

Stoick faltered for a minute, looking almost lost. Fishlegs frowned deeply at this, both surprised and disappointed. Before now, Stoick would have called a Village meeting with everyone, sitting them all down and plotting out their plans for both attack and defense. But now he was just obsessed with…what was he obsessed about anyway? Fishlegs found himself unable to answer the question. Was he upset about losing Hiccup, or maybe losing control of the Village? Maybe both? He couldn't land on it.

Undoubtedly, Fishlegs knew everything about Berk. He knew the history front and back, the traits of every Great Viking, and all the neighboring islands in alphabetical order. And alongside those trivia pieces, he knew that a Chief's son was always drilled into with moral, physical, and mental rules. Knowledge from books, sightings, and as well as numerous complaints from Hiccup, he knew that children up and coming for the role of leadership were trained from the very beginning.

And it was no overstatement to say that since the very beginning, Stoick was considered to be an already perfect Chief. After all, who else could pop a dragon's head clean off its shoulders at birth? And it seemed to Fishlegs that the ideal picture of perfection was always displayed by the Viking warrior. So when had it started to waver? And when had it flat lined into something like this?

The thought was a sad one, and Fishlegs found himself suddenly wishing for the calming sense of organization that they used to have. Nowadays, they just either blundered around the forest or lounged around the village, for they weren't permitted to do anything else, really. Fishlegs closed his eyes, trying to picture Stoick the way he had been before all this mess, before his pride was wounded and his self-assurances tarnished. But he couldn't picture the Chief in any other state than the one that haunted around the village now. He couldn't picture him being the leader of Berk anymore.

The only thing that came to mind with the word leader was…Hiccup.

"They're supposed to bring it back to the Village." Stoick said finally, his words jarring Fishlegs out of his mental stupor. The male was speaking with a firm tone now, and for a moment, Fishlegs wondered if he had regained his footing somewhat. But his hopes fell away as he saw the same distant look on the man's face, his eyes unfocused, as if he were thinking of something entirely different than what he was having right at hand. "Then we can deal with it." He said shortly.

"That's all?" Gobber scoffed. "They'll want more than that, don't you think?"

"Well, that's all they're going to get." Stoick hissed. "Make sure they do it."

"…and Hiccup?" Gobber asked after a beat of silence. "And Astrid, and Toothless?"

Stoick took much longer with this reply. The Chief ducked his head for a moment, Fishlegs imagining the words punching through his skin and inflicting some kind of pain. Like the Zippleback did: inject venom for pre-digestion. He grappled for a moment, weighing, debating…or maybe he was just too angered by the idea of his son that it took a while for him to get clear thought through.

Surprisingly, Fishlegs felt Snotlout stiffen at his side. Since they were so close together, the reaction was more than noticeable. The boy twisted around awkwardly to look back at him, concern flashing in his eyes as studied the weird response. It wasn't like Snotlout to get emotional, and it certainly wasn't like him to show it when it happened. Snotlout was always either angry or nothing at all, there was no middle ground. So it was a shock to Fishlegs, who was the only one to make note of the change, to see that he was quite beside himself. He sat against the leg of the bench, tense and rigid as he watched Stoick intently, waiting for the answer. What was he worried about? Astrid?

…Or…maybe Hiccup?

"The same for them." Stoick growled finally. "Anyone you find, you bring them back to me. I can deal with them later."

"Stoick, you can't be serious!" Gobber exclaimed, eyes widening out.

"They disobeyed orders, Gobber, the whole lot of them!" Stoick snapped angrily. "They plotted against the island, and if they come back, then they'll face the consequences." The order was clipped, short and sweet. Except it wasn't sweet at all…not really. "I can't give them excuses and still be fair. I'm Chief, I treat everything the same. The kids that ran away are just as much a danger as the dragon. And the sooner we find them, the better."

Gobber scoffed, halfway between a noise of anger and laughter. "'The kids.'" He growled, looking up and fixing the man with a furious stare, just managing to hold himself back from yelling it looked like. "You mean your son." He snarled.

Stoick only held his gaze, voice quiet as he asked simply: "Are you going to carry out my orders, or not?"

Gobber sighed, suddenly looking sad. "Yeah…yeah I'll carry 'em." He said in a small mummer. "…But I won't support 'em." Stoick looked surprised at this, caught off-guard as he looked Gobber up and down with something close to shock. But Gobber didn't look him in the eye once more, not able to do anything of the sort by now. Fishlegs felt his mouth drop open with surprise and horror, already knowing what was going to happen, and yet not wanting to believe it all at the same time. "You're on your own for now." Gobber said, already starting to turn back towards the exit of the Hall.

"W-What do you mean?" Stoick asked suddenly, looking stumped.

"You know what I mean." Gobber sighed, still walking out on him. "I'm just done. If you won't listen to me, then I'm not even going to try anymore." He leaned over, grabbing the door and starting to open it. The crack let in a shaft of light, and the teens all bustled backwards like scared animals, terrified at the prospect of being found out at this point in time. Because none of them had realized how far any of this could have gone, and it had quickly and clearly gotten out of hand.

Gobber paused, hesitating at the threshold of the door. He twisted around, looking back towards Stoick with a disappointed look. "I've tried to help you." Gobber said. "I've tried to persuade you, and I've tried to get you to see what you're doing wrong. Now, you know that I'd do anything for you. I'd…follow you wherever you went, or do whatever you'd want me to do. But…I just can't. Not with this one." Regret was laced thickly over his voice, but it was as steady as a beat of a drum. "I'll do what you ask me to do…but I'm done. I can't try and persuade you anymore. I'm sorry."

Stoick was silent, letting the words of rejection sink in. Then: "If that's your choice."

The reply was immediate. "It is."

"Fine." Stoick answered, voice short.

Silence. Then the slam of the door as Gobber left. The bang echoed throughout the Hall, and it was plunged into the quietness that was there before anything else happened. Stoick stood there, still as a statue as he stared emptily at the door. The teens sat, pressed close together now as they held their breath. They all stared at Stoick with the same look of horror, shock, and disbelief on their faces. It went like that for what seemed like ages, though it couldn't have been longer than a few minutes. But finally, Stoick squared his shoulders, seeming to brace himself before marching out the way that he had come.

The kids watched numbly as he left, and it wasn't until the last of his footsteps had faded away outside did any of them move. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were the first, wriggling out from the tightly-knit group and struggling back up to their perches that they'd had before. Fishlegs and Snotlout followed suit, albeit slower. And even once they'd all taken back their seats, it was still a long time before anyone dared to break the silence.

Ruffnut was first. "Welp," She said, looking around at them with a blank expression. "I guess it's not as boring around here as we thought."

"Yeah." Snotlout growled, his anger sounding forcing and rounded. "Now that we finally _know_ something."

"Guys." Fishlegs said softly, changing his gaze from one person to another. They all turned to him, subdued for once as they waited for him to speak. He swallowed nervously, eyes flickering over to the spot where both men had come and gone. They'd only been inside for a few minutes, and yet it felt like it had lasted a year at least. "Do you realize what this means?" He demanded finally, voice cracking somewhat as it raised an octave or two."

Nobody spoke, Tuffnut and Ruffnut giving out synchronized shrugs of the shoulders.

"Gobber and Stoick are _best friends_." Fishlegs snapped. "Even the Red Death itself couldn't tear those two apart! And now they're splitting up! Because of this! Even if we don't know what's going on fully, this is enough to show us that it's something terrible!" He was on his feet now, head reeling as he came to the conclusion. "This is bad. This is really bad. We need to…we should…maybe we could…" He blanched, unable to finish his sentences as his brain went haywire. "Maybe…well…ugh! What do we do?"

"What _can_ we do?" Tuffnut snorted, looking away.

"Well, we have to do something!" Fishlegs protested.

"What?" Snotlout retorted, anger suddenly becoming livid once more. The boy faltered at this new tone, looking back at the burly teenager with wide eyes. Snotlout looked ready to burst, and yet calm at the same time. It was clear by the way that he held himself though that he was struggling to swallow all of this, just like everyone else was. "Stoick doesn't trust us, we're not allowed the leave the Village anymore, and all our dragons are being used for Search Parties most of the time. Face it Fishlegs: there's nothing that we can do."

He opened his mouth to argue, but then realized that there was nothing he could say. Snapping it shut and sitting down heavily, Fishlegs stared sadly down at the table top, shoulders heaving downwards. "…I hope he knows what he's doing." He murmured sadly after a moment, staring down at his lap, where his hands rested limply. "…because I don't think Hiccup can know how bad it's gotten over here."

"He knows what he's doing." Snotlout stated firmly, uncharacteristically firm. "He's Hiccup."

"Yeah…but…we have no idea what's going on out there either." Fishlegs whispered.

Silence.

Then: "Well whatever it is, Hiccup had better deal with it soon." The comment came once again from Snotlout. The other teens looked over at him, automatically glancing towards whoever made an attempt to speak up. But Snotlout didn't meet their gazes pointedly, just like Gobber and Stoick wouldn't when they were talking. "Because we need him back here." It was possibly the first time that Snotlout had ever outright declared his need for his cousin. Of _anyone's _need for his cousin.

"We need a lot of things." Ruffnut scoffed, trying to lighten the mood with a joke.

But Snotlout shook his head emptily at the poke. "No." He said. "We need a leader."

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

A/N: Little piece of Berk, because I felt like I've been neglecting it for a while.

Hopefully this is good! It's Saturday night at 11:08 PM. The only time that I possibly have for updates XDD 'Cuz tomorrow I gotta study for three tests all in the same week, so that'll be bunches of fun.

If you haven't read my profile yet, I would suggest you do so. Because it rings really true. I don't know if it's just the transition phase, or just because it's an intro kinda thing, but I'm swamped right now at school. I've got homework and band every night, so I've kinda got a full plate. So bear with me, seriously. I'll still update, but I'll probably only do it like once a week. And that update will go to the most-reviewed story. So…yeah…

Anyway! Thanks for reading! And hopefully it'll be really good! ;)

Sorry for the delay guys, I really am. Trust me: nobody is more upset about this than I am XDD


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I'm back! Guess what, guys! We've reached a hundred reviews! I'm so happy! Thank you all so much! Hopefully this one will make up for the lack of updates! I feel really bad about leaving you all hanging, but I'm super busy. I'm like a bee, man. But tonight is Friday, so I'm ready to stay up till twelve in the morning and type! ;)

I mean, we all know that I have absolutely nothing else better to do.

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

Hiccup had the hardest job when it came to flying. Sure, Nightflight had to figure out how to maneuver around without someone to guide her, and it took the black dragoness a painstakingly long time to figure out how exactly to trail behind Mistyeyes. But once Mistyeyes stuck her tailfin straight out so that it guided Nightflight with a light touch on her nose, Nightflight actually flew forward instead of stumbling through the clouds. And Shadowclaw and Leafdapple had to make sure that everyone was in check, that job was quite heavy as well, no doubt. And leading a blind dragon in Mistyeyes's case was no good ride either. But even put all together, there was no way that it compared to what Hiccup had to do. And that was trying to figure out how to breathe through Astrid's chokehold.

The blonde was clinging tightly to the boy's stomach, her recently-created anger and irritation towards him in the heat of the moment. Having 'never' been up in the air before, the girl looked just as much of a mess as she did the very first time that Hiccup had managed to persuade her onto Toothless. Of course, they were going much faster then, they didn't have all these other dragons in tow. But the girl was clinging to Hiccup as if her hands were locked together, and every couple of seconds, she would shuffle in the saddle, fixing her perch like a perfectionist. Every once and a while, Hiccup could sense the way she looked down to the ocean, mumbling out a small curse underneath her breath as she did so.

But he didn't ever look back at her or even show the notion that he was aware of her clutch around his waist. He turned the other cheek instead, forcing himself to look straight forward and nowhere else. Focusing instead on the waves around them or the landmarks that they passed, Hiccup spent his efforts trying to find out how long they had left until Berk, or how the weather would hold up around them. It was a concerning enough job, and by the looks of the churning waves beneath them or the dark masses of clouds overhead, it was enough to let the boy's mind fret elsewhere.

After all, there wasn't much else he _could_ think about, not with Toothless refusing to speak like he was. The Night Fury was pointedly keeping his mouth shut, looking straight forward with a smoldering green stare, looking just as preoccupied as Hiccup was trying to be. But if there was even the slightest chance that Toothless was doing what Hiccup was, his mind was far from the subject at hand; he was probably just doing his best to look indifferent. The teenager could tell by the way that the dragon's ears flicked back and forth restlessly that something was bothering, and the boy frowned guiltily as he realized that the thing bothering Toothless might very well be him.

He shook himself quickly, prying his brain off of the subject matter as he looked back up. His inner thoughts lashed out with reprimands, scolding him for even trying to linger on the emotions. There wasn't anything he could do right now, that much was more than obvious. The only thing he could do now was get these dragons to Berk, which was his main goal. If he let things like this get in the way of what he was trying to do…well, he just couldn't let it happen. He had to be focused, he had to-

"So how long is this going to take?" Hiccup tensed rigidly at the sudden question. Astrid had been the one to speak up, surprising the boy considering she had been silent ever since they first took off. And that had to be at least a few hours ago, he presumed. He started to turn back to her at the sound of her voice, a habit of his body that he had acquired from flying with her so much. But as soon as the half-conscious thought crossed his mind, he snapped back around, eyes widening just slightly with hurt at the automatic response. But if Astrid had noticed, she obviously did not think anything of the movement. "We've been flying for forever." She commented, voice curling to show her dislike for the mode of transport. "When are we getting back to my home?"

"I told you." Hiccup said, his voice stifled. "It'll take a while."

"Well yeah." Astrid growled, obviously put-off by his sudden change in mood. Her blue eyes flashed a little at his breezy-sounding tone, and Hiccup was painfully aware of her grip on his waist loosening. "But I didn't know your definition of 'a while' was 'forever.'" She scoffed softly, almost muttering to herself as she spoke underneath her breath. Hiccup frowned at this, allowing himself just a small glance behind him, caving almost too easily as he twisted back slightly.

She was glaring off to the side, as if thinking over something concerning in her mind. But then again, what _could _she be thinking? What was still left in her mind, Hiccup wondered mournfully. Did she know that way how she would always wait outside Hiccup's house and walk to the Forge with him in the mornings? Or that way that she spent all Snoggletog last year at Hiccup's house around the fire? Obviously not, it seemed. Otherwise there would be something there between them instead of just a cold pit of unfamiliarity.

Suddenly, there was a small flash of brown, Hiccup perking as he faced the shape. Leafdapple was weaving her way through the crowd, green eyes wide with both concern and worry. Hiccup felt a small stab of fear at the expression creasing itself over her face, but then he caught sight of Shadowclaw, who was trailing behind the dragoness per the norm. He looked much less upset, almost a little impatient as he flew after his friend. Hoping that that meant it wasn't anything too serious, Hiccup allowed himself a small breath of relief.

He prodded Toothless in the neck, a little cautious now as he turned to his friend. Toothless twitched at the touch, turning his head and opening his mouth as if he were going to start firing out sentences. But then he seemed to catch onto what Hiccup was indicating, slowing down as he caught sight of Leafdapple and Shadowclaw. Astrid stiffened considerably behind Hiccup, her grip coming back at once as the dragons came closer. The boy offered out a small mumble of comfort at her anxiety, but his mind wasn't on her discomfort, for once not on purpose. He looked intently at Leafdapple and Shadowclaw, watching the two closely as they made their way towards him.

Eventually, they met. Leafdapple was panting from her sudden burst of speed to catch up, but she drew alongside Toothless and Hiccup despite the worn look on her face. "Hiccup." She puffed, calling the boy's already-earned attention. "I think we might have to stop soon." Hiccup frowned at this, realizing that reason that Shadowclaw looked a little peeved. The male had a disgruntled look on his face, a flick of impatience going through his tail every so often as he flew alongside his close friend. He obviously thought different than Leafdapple, but he was much too wary of hurting her feelings to speak outright against her.

But Toothless obviously did not think of that part in the equation. He spoke up incredulously, tilting his head to the side with a look of bewilderment. It was the first time he had talked all flight, so it took a moment for his voice to get working. But when it did, he asked a simple one-worded question. "Why?" Hiccup turned back to look at the Pack, and at the sun behind them. It had just started its descent a few hours ago; they still had a good expanse of travel that they could cover before the sun faded altogether. If they were to stop now, they wouldn't even come close to the amount of miles that Hiccup had hoped to cover today. "We still have a lot of time left to travel!" Toothless pointed out.

But Leafdapple shook her head. "No, we can't keep going on like this." She pressed, not letting up on her stance in the argument. Or maybe that was the cause for Shadowclaw's impatience, Hiccup thought suddenly. The male had probably already tried to reason with his friend, but she would hear none of it, shooting him down before he could even finish his words. It seemed exactly like something Leafdapple would end up doing, and against himself, Hiccup gave a small smile at the picture between them.

"Why not?" Toothless demanded immediately. "We could easily get closer to Berk before-"

"Where we stayed last night didn't have a surplus of food." Leafdapple snapped tartly, puffing up at the notion of her being wrong. "Most of the dragons around here are hungry. And the younglings can barely fly on their own already, they're losing altitude faster than you can gain it, Toothless." Hiccup turned back to look at the party behind him, realizing with a small, disappointed sigh, that the female was right. Some of the adult dragons had scowls on their faces, determined but obviously hurting from the large amount of activity without much food. Inwardly, Hiccup felt his own stomach caving in on itself. With everything that had happened today, the fact that they had had little to no food last night had been easily forgotten. But now he could see that the others in their traveling group were not able to push the matter away as smoothly as he had.

The younglings were openly complaining, all except for Amber of course. The cute little Night Fury was trudging along with a determined look, little wings fluttering at her sides like a bumblebee's. Even since she had been snatched out of the air by Hiccup, she had made a special point to be the best out of the pick of younglings. Now, as the others were lagging, it was obvious that she was doing her best to speed ahead. But her mother was lagging behind; if she kept this up, she would get separated from the female and she might spiral down to the ocean again.

"With the rate that things are going, we'll be dropping like flies." Leafdapple said, panting herself as she struggled to match Toothless's pace, who was a much more skilled flier than she. Hiccup opened his mouth to agree with her, knowing that it would probably make Toothless even more angry towards him, but he was cut short as Mistyeyes suddenly made an appearance as well, Nightflight dragged behind her. "What's going on?" The pale dragoness asked, baffled as he looked from each person assembled. There was a small hint of reproach in her voice as well, as if she were wondering why in the world she hadn't known about this little meeting. From behind her, Nightflight cocked her head to the side, questioning as she tried to listen over the beating of wings around her.

"Leafdapple said we need to stop early." Toothless explained shortly, not offering any of the background information as he looked over towards the younger one. She puffed at the hidden barb underneath the words, as if she were some unfair dragon just wanting to rest. "But we still have a lot of time left to travel; it'd be pointless to stop now."

"It's pointless to keep going." Leafdapple snapped, irritated by now as she glared openly Toothless's way. An offended look crept into the older Night Fury at the look that was thrown his way, and from behind Leafdapple, Hiccup could see Shadowclaw trying to suppress a smile, getting over his own hostility with his friend at the bold stance she was now taking. "Everyone is so tired that we're crawling along like an inchworm." She continued. "We need to stop early so that there's more time to hunt for the others. If we end out early today, we can start out early tomorrow."

Mistyeyes perked, looking back and reflecting Hiccup's own surprise as she realized how slow they were actually going. Like him, she had probably thought none of it, preoccupied with her own wonderings to try and evaluate their progressions. "Well, it looks like Leafdapple is right." She concluded, looking back over at the group, pointedly not looking in Toothless's direction. The black Night Fury's ears twitched at the notion of her not being able to look at him, but thankful he did not voice his opinions outright. It would have caused yet another scene that they did not need right now. "I think it would benefit us better if we took it easier than we have been. The younglings look ready to keel over."

Astrid watched the exchange between Hiccup and the dragons with dumbstruck disbelief. Hiccup tried to ignore her stare, doing his best to focus solely on the task at hand. He took in the looks of everyone around him, realizing that there was a cross. Leafdapple and Mistyeyes, both so alike in nature it seemed, were both looking at him expectantly, waiting for an order to find the nearest spot of land. But Toothless and Shadowclaw seemed unwilling to stop, lean and supple even without the energy that food provided.

Turning around and hoping for a resolve laying in the one that hadn't spoken up yet, he offered a tentative smile Nightflight's way. Even if she couldn't see it, he hoped that she would hear it in his voice, though he doubted the emotion was well-set-up enough for such a thing. "What do you think, Nightflight?" He asked, encouraging her back into the swing of conversation. "Should we stop, or keep going?" He prompted, when the female didn't seem to hear him at first.

But then she perked, looking lost for a moment or two as she looked around aimlessly. But then, finally staring over in his general direction, she blinked rapidly. "…What do _you _think we should do?" She asked after a beat of hesitation. Mistyeyes blinked at this, looking saddened at the question as she drooped visibly. Toothless sighed underneath his breath, looking away from the pair of females, as if he were tired of facing them.

Hiccup sighed heavily at this, shoulders drooping at the disharmony that seemed to be racing between each person here. The only two that seemed out of the loop was Leafdapple and Shadowclaw, younglings as they were. He turned around, depressed by the thought of what was going on between the group, shaking his head a little as he fixed his eyes on a point far ahead. Maybe if he focused on there, it would be like nothing was wrong here.

"We'll stop." He decided flatly.

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

Toothless and Mistyeyes split up to lead out two hunting groups once they finally managed to find themselves an island that seemed plentiful. It took about half an hour to find, but Hiccup was rather glad that they had come across it. Now, as the dragons that still had a few scraps of energy left had gone after Toothless and Mistyeyes to hunt, Hiccup watched over the rest of the Pack.

Mothers were curled underneath a shaded tree with their sons and daughters, eyes half-closed as they dozed after their long flounder through the air. Those of the younglings who were still able to walk were pacing around now, trying to find entertainment until their meal arrived, looking impatient as they milled around noisily. The older dragons twitched with irritation at the nesciences of the little ones, turning around and shooing them away, telling their little ears off for coming and ruining their naps. But Hiccup smiled tenderly at the sight, eyes softening as he saw the flash of affection through the seniors' eyes as the pushed the Youths away.

The boy had taken to sitting off to the side, watching over the dragons until Toothless and Mistyeyes came back with the food that they had been promised. He was just about to get up and move from his perch on a rather thick root of a tree, but he stopped short as movement off to the side caught his eye. He turned, green eyes lighting up as he twisted to look over to the left. Shadowclaw was sitting neatly beside Leafdapple, both of the dragons' tails curled around their paws.

They both looked on peacefully, watching a group of baby Night Furies stumble and play with one another tiredly. Leafdapple's eyes were soft as she surveyed them, and every so often she let a small smile grace her features. Shadowclaw leaned over close to her, nudging her with his shoulder and saying something close to her ear. Leafdapple responded with a snort of a laugh, rolling her eyes as she pushed him away affectionately.

The sight caused Hiccup to gain a smile of his own, bringing his knees up closer to his chest as he rested his chin down gently. Somehow Leafdapple and Shadowclaw still seemed to find light of the situation that there were in. Why couldn't any of them do the same? Hiccup wondered idly. Even Toothless and Mistyeyes, as close as they were now that they had both come to the realization that everybody else knew, weren't able to talk and laugh as much as the two used to. The tense situation that they were in concerning the Pack and their new responsibilities left them unable to do just that and it also left Hiccup unable to help Astrid.

At the thought of the girl, Hiccup reluctantly turned, twisting around and finding her sitting off to the side. She had taken a much more tolerable air with the dragons, but she was still obviously uneasy. She shifted every so often, glancing around with quick blue eyes. She was taking a special care in staying close to Hiccup, wary with the amount of reptiles that were around her. She looked over at him every so often, a fact that he had missed up until this point.

The pairs' eyes accidentally locked, Astrid siting up a little straighter as she flushed with embarrassment at being caught staring. She started to look away, but stopped short for a moment, eyes narrowing slightly as she looked back at him. Something flashed in the back of her eyes, a small spark of something. It looked as if she were struggling to pin down a thought that was simply going too fast for her mind to take in. Hiccup wilted at the thought, a sad kind of flicker coming into his emotions. Astrid was still looking at him oddly, but he refused to do the same.

Turning, the boy spun around, looking back to Shadowclaw and Leafdapple and heading their way pointedly.

Astrid frowned at the movement, tucking her knees close as she rested her chin down with a glum expression, watching him go silently. She didn't protest, and she didn't follow him either. She just remained where she was sitting, a person with no recollection and no aspiring goals to look forward to except to follow others and wish for the best. The boy…Hiccup… he didn't seem to like her all that much. It was fine by her, of course. She just needed a way to get home, she was just stuck with him at the moment, and it didn't mean anything.

Still, she felt weird whenever she saw him. Like a certain kind of feeling that you remember having but you can't exactly pin it down. Still, he seemed like he was starting to get tired of her. She might as well stop trying to get any more answers out of him; he shut up like a clam whenever she tried to ask a simple question. So he wouldn't help her if she were to ask him why these clinging thoughts or feelings came at random points. And he certainly wouldn't answer why she felt them when she looked at him.

So she watched him go without a second thought, turning and averting her attention elsewhere, like on the dragons or how long they had travelled so far today. The clinging thoughts were useless to worry about, so she might as well forget them. She was having a hard enough time figuring out how to talk outright with… Hiccup… (the name still tripped her up with that same weird surge of feeling). She should just concentrate solely on holding conversations up with him. If he was the only human within miles like he said' she might as well not make an enemy out of her only friend.

Whatever feeling she had of him…. whatever kind of emotion there was that she couldn't pinpoint… she guessed that she would just have to ignore it.

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

"Hey." The soft greeting threw off Mistyeyes's aim, the dragon jerking with surprise right before she shot herself forward. She landed awkwardly, with a loud huff of surprise as she fell lopsidedly. The rabbit that she had been stalking took off at her arrival, a loud squeal of surprise coming from it as she dashed away. She sat up crossly, spitting out tufts of grass with an irritated look on her face. She turned, ready to shoot out angry roars in the direction of whoever had just ruined her catch. But when she saw who it was waiting for her, she stopped short with surprise.

"Toothless?" She asked, wide-eyed as she got to her feet hastily. "What're you doing out here? Why aren't you with the others that came along with you?"

The black Night Fury flicked the tip of his tail, dismissing the question. "I could ask you the same thing." He pointed out fairly. He paused for a minute, as if expecting Mistyeyes to swallow the answer. But she didn't, blue eyes still shaded with irritation as she glanced the way that the rabbit had gone. Toothless sighed, giving in now as he ducked his head apologetically. "Sorry about the catch." He offered. "But I wanted to talk to you. It couldn't wait."

Mistyeyes hesitated, contemplating. But then she nodded, sitting down neatly as she drew her tail over her paws. "You'll have to explain to Hiccup why we didn't bring anything back to the others." She informed him presently, before he could start. Toothless sighed, frustrated, as if this was the least of his worries. "Go on, then." Mistyeyes encouraged after another moment of silence. "What's so important? We're meant to be hunting." The sun was starting to go down more prominently by now; they probably only had about a few more hours until it was completely gone.

Toothless copied her, sitting down and staring intently her way. It was a while before he managed to speak up, and when he did, his words were measured and short. "I think…" He paused a second, ears twitching restlessly. But then he spoke up again, forcing the words out. "I think we should get Nightflight to try again." He said finally.

Mistyeyes was too stunned to reply at first, eyes wide with both disbelief and shock as she stared blankly his way. "…What?" She asked voice incredulous. "You mean on Astrid?" When Toothless nodded again, she swelled even more. "Toothless, surely you can't be serious! Just this morning you were ready to tear her head off for what she did! You blamed her for her mistake, you treated her like a traitor, you haven't talked to her all day, and now you expect her to _try again_?" She gasped shortly, the only way she could think of to express her confusion. "And then you expect her to _do it_?"

"You have to think about our options, here, Mistyeyes!" He urged her quickly, before he could finish her sentence. "Hiccup isn't going to help her; you know that fact as well as I do! He has some weird thought in his head that he should push her away, and I know that that isn't the way that this needs to be worked out."

"And taking more chances is?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. Her anger was starting to melt away, replaced by curiosity and thought. The offer was a weird one, and it was even weirder to have been brought up by Toothless himself. At first she had taken it as a joke, but evidently, Toothless was serious about this. "What's wrong?" She asked finally, receiving the notion that something was amiss with him. "There's something the matter, isn't there?"

"This happened to me before." Toothless said flatly. "You know that as well as I do." Mistyeyes blinked, looking away softly at the thought, having tried her hardest to forget that specific moment in time. "I know what it felt like to come back and realized what I'd done. And I know what it feels like to deal with it afterwards, and how hard it was. Especially with what happened." He did not name the circumstance, but it ran gorily through Mistyeyes's head anyway. "I don't want Astrid to feel like that if something like that happens again. She deserves better."

"It'll be okay." She said softly.

"You're sure about that?" Toothless demanded. The female stopped short at this, becoming quiet as she sighed through her nose slowly. He nodded, as if the huff answered his question. "Astrid already lost her memory." He pointed out. "What's worse than that? What else could possibly go wrong?" Mistyeyes rolled her eyes at the phrase, but he wasn't finished. "If Nightflight does well and if she actually does get Astrid to be able to understand us, we could get her to remember ourselves. Hiccup wouldn't have to do anything. We could help her."

"And if Nightflight can't do it?" Mistyeyes rounded. "She probably won't even want to try."

"That a chance we'll have to take." Toothless said firmly. "This shouldn't have happened in the first place, I knew that much. But now that it has, we have to go through with this. Any other situation and I would tell Nightflight to keep her distance. But this is just too close to home, both for me and for Hiccup. Don't you see, Mistyeyes?" He pressed relentlessly. "This is the only way that we can fix this. And Nightflight will have to understand that."

Mistyeyes weighed her reply, blue eyes critical as she stared steadily his way. "…We can't make her do anything she doesn't want to." She warned thinly, obviously not going to be the one to address the situation to the dragoness. She was already so worked up over everything; she surely wouldn't be okay with what she and Toothless were thinking of. "And Hiccup won't be able to know about it. He'd stop us. He'd… he'd get mad."

"It'll be worth it."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because," He said shortly. "I've been through it before."

"Does that make you an expert?" Mistyeyes questioned.

"I'm the only one it's happened to."

"Nightflight is the only one who's caused it." Mistyeyes pressed. "And she's just as confused as all of us."

Toothless didn't reply for what seemed like forever. "Are you going to help me or not?"

"You know I'd do anything for you." Mistyeyes said at once, a reflexive answer as it blurted its way out of her mouth. But as soon as she said the words, looking at Toothless's earnest face, she couldn't help but feel a small prick of foreboding at the words, as if she had just predicted something evil. _We'd all do anything for each other. _She thought grimly, her look measured now. _But sooner or later, something is going to wrong. I just don't know what._

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

A/N: Really sorry, guys, I am. Trust me, I hate this school business just as much as you all do with my lack of updates. I try to get on more and more but I just can't manage it most nights. Even now, I'm cutting super close to when I have to leave for a band competition. So just know I'm trying, and that more reviews my way will definitely help. Once again, really sorry.

Things will pick up soon, though, so rest assured. I'm still thinking about you all :)

I hope this long chapter lives up to expectance, and if not, blame it on lack of time lol

I'll try to update again really soon, and thank you so much for your patience. I really love you all ^^


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Oh my gosh, guys your patience is so awesome. Seriously, thank you. I appreciate the way that you guys are sticking with me, and hopefully my chapters make up for the wait whenever I do manage to get them out to you all.

-Heavy sigh- You have no idea how awesome it feels to type again.

By the way, this chapter will be a flashback collection. ;)

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

The Nursery was filled to the brim for once, a blessing and a curse at the same time. This season many female Night Furies had crammed themselves into the cavern, either carting in with them younglings or waiting patiently for their eggs to hatch accordingly. Usually was it was just filled with the mothers and their little ones, the only talk being the squeaks of play from the children and the rumble of gossip from the mothers.

But today was different. Today, the Cavern was filled with a line of dragons young and old alike, excited conversations filling the stone walls as the rumble of speech went through. A new baby dragon egg had just hatched this morning, and the news of its arrival had spread like wildfire through the Pack. The new mother, Echosong, was widely respected throughout the entire group of Night Furies; so when it was heard that she was to have a youngling, every dragon had been on edge. Would the baby be like her? Would it take after her sweet looks? Her swift cunning? Or maybe her sharp flying skills? Those were the questions that floated on the breeze now in the damp cave, everyone in line to see the offspring of beloved Echosong.

The mother in question was at the end of the line, her newly-hatched baby curled up tightly at her side, oblivious to the fuss that she was creating. The little one was adorable and perfect: a light gray shade making up her scales and the peeking of shimmering blue eyes every now and then. She was the picture of her mother, not her father, who sat behind the two females, chest swelled with pride. Each dragon that came by offered their own sort of praise, and Echosong was already worn out before the line even reached halfway through.

She twisted back to look at her Mate, eyes flashing with irritation and humor at the same time. "All this fuss over something so little." She said in a small tease, looking down with soft eyes at her daughter lying in the crook of her belly. She swept her tail forward, wrapping it closely around her child and pulling her even closer at the thought.

Her Mate leaned over, nuzzling her ear fondly at the words. "It's not something little." He chastised her gently, voice soft and with no sort of spike at all. "It's our daughter! The Pack has the right idea in celebrating her like this." He purred, leaning over and pushing his nose against the little one's head, the youngling squawking loudly at the intrusion. He pulled back with another purr at this, his tail curling with tender amusement. "She's perfect." He said happily.

Echosong rolled her eyes with a small chuff. "You think everything is perfect, Talon." She said.

"I think _you're _perfect." He added, prodding her just as affectionately.

"She's _perfect_!"

The pair looked up at this, ears perking as they turned over to look at who had spoken. Recognition flooded through Echosong's gaze as she locked eyed with the newest visitor, the female unconsciously drawing her youngling closer to herself at the sight of the mother and her own little one standing at her feet. "Oh." She said, blinking rapidly. "Hello Mapleshade." She said, putting enthusiasm into her voice as she tilted her head to the side wearily. "I didn't expect you to be here."

Mapleshade purred at this, looking overjoyed as she leaned down close to survey the little one. Echosong shifted a little bit, but didn't object, only flicking her ears back and forth restlessly. Talon had sobered it seemed, the male souring a little bit as he looked at the newcomer with a different kind of look. She was unaware of the looks though, looking down instead and pushing her own child forward, looking just as proud as Echosong was. "Have you ever met my youngling?" She asked excitedly.

Echosong's eyes softened at the little one, her guard slipping in the moment as she dipped her head. "Hello, Nightflight." She cooed happily, voice tender as she spoke down to the little dragoness. Nightflight looked down shyly at her feet as she was addressed, hesitating a moment before leaning forward, ears twitching with interest as she bent over the small baby curled against its mother. Echosong found herself tensing yet again, and she gave a small cough, hoping to hide her paranoia with the expression. "Her name is Mistyeyes." She said kindly, purposefully only speaking Nightflight's way as she stared fixedly at the little one. "She's only a day old! Can you believe that?"

"She's tiny." Nightflight commented in a small squeak.

"Yes, but she'll grow big and strong." Talon said, seeming to get over his recent tightness.

"Very big and strong!" Echosong winced at this, having already been expecting it as soon as she saw Mapleshade approach. Fighting the urge to wince, she turned and looked back the mother's way, shifting a little uneasily. Mapleshade was bent forward, resting her paw lightly on Mistyeyes's back, who was grumbling angrily at the weight that was pressed lightly against her side. "I can see her already! This one is going to be big and important!"

"….Is she….now?" Echosong asked awkwardly, clearing her throat a little with the question. This was a routine that new mothers always had to go through: listening to Mapleshade claim to know all about their new arrival with just one glance. She had always seen the odd female perform the feat with other mothers and their newly-hatched, and wondered what in the world she would do in such a weird conversation. And here she was, finally able to face that question for real. And now she was wishing, with all the eyes on her that she could sink through the floor.

"Don't you see?" Mapleshade asked happily, looking thoroughly enthralled in the little baby by now. "She's such a little Leader! I can see every part of you in her already." She flashed a happy look Echosong's way, and the mother smiled uncomfortably back. "She'll grow up to be quite the charmer, too, I think."

Nightflight blinked, looking put-out as she glanced from Mistyeyes to her mother. She leapt to her feet, bouncing up and down now as she craned her neck to look up at her mother. "What about me, mother? What about me?" She asked, shuffling her feet rapidly as she tried to rally the attention back onto her. "What about me? What will I be in the future?"

Mapleshade completely ignored her daughter for the moment, turning a pleased look Echosong's way. "You'll be proud of this one." She promised the uncomfortable dragoness. "Her path goes many different directions, and it entwines with many different sets of footprints as well. You'll have to watch where this one goes, because she'll make history."

"Right." Echosong said, reaching over and bundling her daughter closer to her, glancing Mapleshade up and down as she did so. "I'll make sure to do that. Thank you, Mapleshade. I appreciate it." Her words were short and clipped: a sure sign of dismissal. Then, wanting to make it clear that she wanted her to leave, she added: "I'll see you later, perhaps; you and your daughter." Nightflight was sulking by now at the thought of being ignored, looking as if she wanted to start wailing for someone to pay attention to her.

Mapleshade nodded kindly, never the one to pick up hints. "Of course." She said with a dip of the head. "I'll see you around the cave, Echosong. And I'll make sure to keep a watch on Mistyeyes as well. I have a feeling she'll live a very interesting life." And with that, she gave one last nod to the proud parents before turning, carting Nightflight along with her as they trudged away back into the crowd. Nightflight glanced back every once and a while, looking with jealousy and something else towards Mistyeyes, only turning and running away when she was forced to catch up with her mother.

Echosong blinked, looking over with confusion at Talon, who held her own puzzlement in his own expression. He shrugged listlessly, leaning over and putting his nose to her ear comfortingly. She sighed softly, rolling her eyes as she looked down kindly at her daughter, leaning over and rasping her tongue caringly over her little one's head.

She did her best to ignore what Mapleshade had said, as strange as it was. Mistyeyes was just going to be…well…Mistyeyes. She was going to be a normal little youngling, who's only worry was when they would be able to play and for how long. There was nothing odd about her daughter, and she would make sure that she was sheltered from danger. Tightening her hold on her youngling, she gave another tender embrace to the baby.

Nothing different. Nothing wrong. She'd make sure of it.

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

Mistyeyes watched intently, blue eyes narrowed just slightly as she rounded forward, the tip of her tail twitching in the dark of the cave. Behind her, the rest of the Pack was gathered, eyes wide with confusion, loss, grief, and shock. The air around the gray Night Fury trembled with the emotions as the last effects of the human attack on them slowly ebbed away. The leader of the other dragons stood against the mouth of the cave, a light outline in the blackness that hung like a shadow over the large group.

She was facing forward intently, eyes flashing with untold stories as she kept her feet rooted to the ground. Her blue eyes, luminescent in the dim lighting, were trained intently on the form that was retreating towards the exit of the caverns, his panicked footsteps the only noise in the cave at the moment as all attention was fixed on his leave. Mistyeyes's last words hung in the air, the female having just spoken them only a few moments before the male had dashed away like a wounded animal. "If you speak the truth, you will not need this, but if any of my dragons see you on this island again, we _will _take action. Leave our island, now."

Those were her final words, her final judgment. And as Mistyeyes listened to Toothless's rapid footfalls gradually fade away, she could not help but feel as if she had made a terrible mistake. Behind her was a mob of grief-stricken and shell-shocked group of dragons, all looking at her as if she had just let a murderer leave empty-clawed. And now, once she found Toothless to have left the premises, under the assumption that he would never return again, she had to wonder if she _had_ done just that.

Slowly the female turned in a short circle, twisting around and looking around with a mournful expression. Now that the distraction of Toothless's exile had been dealt with, the attention was fixated once more onto her. Younglings cried in the back of the crowd, and mothers desperately tried to shush them, in fear of interrupting words from Mistyeyes if she decided to speak and give out orders. But for once, Mistyeyes was mute. Her pretty blue eyes just flickered down, getting caught in the sight of Nightflight lying slack against the ground before her. She was unable to look away, and for a moment, she just stood still, gaze resting heavily on the dragoness as she remained silent.

But she should have spoken first. A beat of tense silence passed, weighing on Mistyeyes's shoulders like a million tons. But she as the leader was not the one to break it apart. She should have snapped into action, going forward and dealing out rapid instructions on how to fix this situation that they had been in. After all, they had just been attacked and left by a band of humans quicker than even she could try and wrap her mind around. Her Pack needed guidance now on how to react. But she was quiet, and that allowed another voice to speak up.

"How could you have let him go like that?" The demand came from a familiar voice, Mistyeyes ducking her head low as she listened to Fleetfoot advance up to her. His voice was laden with sorrow and grief, but they were not nearly as prominent as the anger that was flooding off of him in waves. The male stood stock in front of Mistyeyes, having moved so that he was in between her and Nightflight. Finding her vision disrupted, Mistyeyes looked up reluctantly, meeting Fleetfoot's gaze with her own expectant one.

"Why would I have kept him here?" Mistyeyes asked blankly. "He didn't belong here; you know that as well as I do." Her tone was measured, clipped short and business-like as she locked eyes with the male. The others around here had perked at her voice, her scales burning as eyes went to train hungrily onto her. There wasn't a friendly face in this crowd, she realized. All of them were either heavy with remorse, or blank with shock. She could even feel a few angered glares shot her way. Feeling uncomfortable, but refusing to show it, the dragon swallowed back her uneasiness as best she could. "What would you have rather me done? He's gone now, and if he appears again, then we will-"

Fleetfoot broke through her words curtly, eyes blazing now as he leaned forward slightly. "He brought these humans to us!" The male yowled angrily, furious as his anger slowly mounted, threatening to spill over. Mistyeyes's jaw locked backwards at the words, but still, she forced herself to remain calm as he went on. "He brought the humans here, joined their side, and then he killed one of our own himself!" Fleetfoot's voice sharpened towards the end, Mistyeyes's ears perking forward a little at the odd tone of voice. But he swept on before she could get a word in edge-wise, shaking his head violently as he spoke. "You let a traitor and a murderer get off scale-free! How can you call yourself a leader if you let things like this happen?" At this question, he used his tail to gesture widely at all of those who were around them, Mistyeyes following his point as her eyes flickered over the dragons gathered around. Quite a scene was being created at the moment, and even the younglings sobered as they realized that something important was going on now.

"I call myself a leader because I do not let bias and judgments cloud my vision." Mistyeyes replied, keeping her voice in check and making sure that her tone did not escape her. With this much intensity fixed on her, she did not want to seem prickly or touchy. But even as the thought crossed her mind, she realized that she wasn't doing such a good job of it probably. "What did you suppose we should have done, Fleetfoot?"

"We should have killed him when we had the chance." He growled harshly. "Now he's gone and he won't be back any time soon. We let him walk away bathed in the blood of all our friends and family, and you're just going to sit back and take it? We should go hunt him down now! We should go show him how you can't mess with Night Furies! We should-"

"If you wish me to assemble a search party to track down Toothless and kill him, you will be severely disappointed." Mistyeyes said at once, cutting through his words swiftly as she took a small step forward. Fleetfoot's mouth went into a small line at her interjection, and she could see the way he tensed significantly at her warning. But she refused to let the detail bother her. "In killing Toothless, we would merely stoop his level; therefore, making ourselves no better than him in the first place." She said adamantly. "If you want real justice, Fleetfoot, this is what it is. We're letting Toothless go because we're better than him. We don't need to make sides equal in order to come out on top. We're better than that."

Fleetfoot scoffed, clearly unsatisfied with the answer. But it had been expected of him to be so, Mistyeyes was not the least bit surprised. "You're crazy." He growled angrily, lashing his tail in an agitated swoop her supposed-near-sightedness. "You're crazy and you obviously don't care about what happens to us! The humans came in and killed as many as they could! The only reason they succeeded was because they took us by surprise! And now you're just going to roll over and take it? Like some kind of pet?" He curled his lip at her, sensing as the female grew a little defensive at the jibe. "Why don't you run off with Toothless and become a part of Berk? I'm sure the humans would be more to your taste, considering the way you care so much more about them!"

Mistyeyes snarled impatiently at the dragon's ignorance, feeling her frustration rolling like the tide. It would break soon if she wasn't careful, and then she would be in even hotter water than she was at the moment. And that was saying something, taking in the situation that was in right now. "Please, Fleetfoot." She said each word slow and weighted as she tried to persuade herself not to snap out like she wanted. "Are we really going to fight about this?"

She turned, addressing all of the dragons around her now as she raised her voice. She was more than aware of the unsure looks and challenging glares on her, and she felt yet another prickle of unease crawl its way over her spine. But she buried the emotions, clearing her throat and tilting her chin up slightly, an indication of confidence that she used well to mask her growing unease. "Are we _all _going to fight over this? When the spirits of our loves ones still linger in this cave?" At her words, most of the glares smoothed out a little bit, the unsure looks melting away into sober ones. Fighting the urge to let out a huff of relief, she went on smoothly, going over closer to Nightflight's body. "This isn't how we should honor those who are gone; you all know that as well as I do."

There was silence in the cave now, all eyes on her as dragons waited earnestly for her guidance. But Fleetfoot's words had irked her more than she would like to admit, and the dragoness found herself blanking as she stared at the crowd before her. It bothered her with the fact that they had been so easily riled at the speech that Fleetfoot had given out of anger. What did that mean for her? _Did_ it mean anything for her? What should she do first? She was never the one to wonder what to do in situations. Ever since she was little, she'd had a head for knowledge and quick thinking. But now she was like a fish out of water: floundering and unable to hold herself upright accordingly.

Suddenly, a dragon stepped forward earnestly from the rest, eyes flashing in the darkness around them. Mistyeyes turned, feeling a guilty rush of relief as her eyes landed on Talon. Her father cleared his throat a little loudly, as if to draw attention away from Mistyeyes's small stumble, the dragoness's ears flattening as she realized that it worked. All eyes switched to him, and, as customary, he gave a small nod towards the gray female. "Would you like us to assemble a burial? For the perished?" He offered.

Mistyeyes straightened, the small offering of a motive helping her brain to kick into gear. She dipped her head gratefully towards her father, almost a little embarrassed at the fact that he'd had to help her in order for her to start up once more. She hoped nobody else caught onto the small nudge, for she surely did not have any kind of retort if one were to arise. "Yes." She said, clearing her throat again as she started to speak. "We've lost some dragons today, and that is a truly terrible thing." Fleetfoot scoffed where he stood, but Mistyeyes ignored him swiftly. "We need to send them off properly, as all Night Furies deserve. Friends and families should be the first to-" She broke off, blinking rapidly as she perked, becoming silent as she narrowed her eyes down at Nightflight.

Talon shifted uneasily at her lack of focus, eyes clouding over with both concern and confusion for his daughter. "Mistyeyes?" He prompted ears flat against his head. His daughter had gone forward, stiff-legged now as she looked down at Nightflight, who was still sprawled against the cave floor. Her blue eyes were wide with something that seemed like surprise now, her ears perked as she came to a stop in front of the body. "Mistyeyes, what are you-"

"She's still alive!" Mistyeyes said in a sharp gasp, looking perplexed by the words as she let the exclamation pass her. At once, others around her perked, ears flicking up and eyes brightening a shade more as they looked at her with confusion. "S-She's breathing!" Mistyeyes shouted, barging forward now as she pushed forward. She crouched down quickly at the gravely injured dragoness's side. "Somebody find Juniper!" Mistyeyes ordered sharply, not looking up before she leaned over, reaching out and applying pressure to Nightflight's worst injuries, trying to keep her together until Juniper came. "Juniper has knowledge for herbs! Quick, somebody find her! Juniper!"

Dragons started to mill around at once, sharp yelps of surprise and fright washing through the assembly as they all turned and twisted, trying to find the dragon that they were in need of. Mistyeyes made sure that pressure was applied correctly, having picked up a minimal amount of knowledge on healing. But mostly she just knew how to stall what was coming. Her wings trembled at her sides, and she shifted from foot to foot with an occasional murmur of discomfort.

Shadowclaw piped up from where he sat on the edge of the circle surrounding them, always the most forward out of the younglings on the island. His tiny voice squeaked where he sat, and his wings flapped at his sides excitedly. "What do you mean she's breathing?" He demanded, eyes wide as he craned his neck to the side, getting up on his claws in an attempt to see more. "She's still alive?" His eyes were round with conflicted feelings, as if he was unaware of what exactly he felt in accordance to the news.

"Shadowclaw!" One of the mothers in the Pack rushed forward, her own children herding themselves behind her anxiously, eyes wide with fear at the new involvement. The dragoness leaned over, wrapping a paw tightly around Shadowclaw's waist and tugging him backwards sharply. The youngling yelped tightly at the sudden pull, an indignant squeak snapping itself from him in the process. "You shouldn't be sitting out here watching all this! Let's get you back to your mother, dear."

The little male wailed in response, immediately trying to claw his way out of her reach. To no avail though, as he was slowly dragged back into the thick of the crowd. "No, wait!" He pleaded, leaving sharp white lines in the rock floor as he dug his claws into the stone. "I wanna see what's going on! I wanna help too!" He tried in protest. Mistyeyes turned, giving out a sharp, impatient roar towards his way. Her piercing blue eyes clashed with his own, and immediately, Shadowclaw snapped his jaws shut. His eyes rounded out with surprise at being signaled out by her, as well as a hint of hurt as well. He went limp at her sudden snap, letting himself get pulled back obediently.

Mistyeyes growled fussily under her breath, looking down and giving out small curse as she realized that her attempts were only helping a little bit. Nightflight's flank was just barely twitching with breath, and pretty soon, Mistyeyes knew that it would cease altogether. Beside her, there was a small thud, and she turned over quickly to look back, realizing that it was her father who was standing beside her. "She'll be fine." She started quickly, voice breathless as she whispered sharply underneath her breath. She didn't even notice the way that Fleetfoot was flanking her other side, tense with just as much worry as she was. She was just focused on gathering together everything that she could. "She's got a few nasty wounds….one right across her neck. But Juniper can fix it if she comes here quickly. They're not fatal right now, but they could have the potential to bleed out. Oh gods…hurry, Juniper."

Talon looked at her oddly, as if just seeing her for the first time. He opened his mouth to ask her something, but bit it back quickly. Instead, he leaned over, helping to aid Mistyeyes in her plight as he helped to support Nightflight in the moment. "Juniper is coming." He assured her, though he still sounded a little bit lost at her sudden change in mood. He glanced at her, eyes flashing. "So you think she'll make it?"

"I checked all the dragons before coming here." Mistyeyes said tensely. "She's the only one that has a chance of making it."

"How big is that chance?"

Mistyeyes didn't answer.

Suddenly, through the crowd of dragons, a pair rushed forward. A smallish female, a little bit younger than Mistyeyes herself, followed by a much older, mottled Night Fury. "Here she is!" The younger of the two yelped, having been the one to find the wiser dragon. Juniper rushed at her side, jaws full of a few small leaves and remedies. Mistyeyes looked with despair at the meager pickings held in Juniper's mouth, feeling her heart plummet straight down her claws.

"That's all you have?" Mistyeyes demanded desperately, giving out a small squeak as Juniper pushed her away irritably from Nightflight's side. By now the black female was starting to howl with pain, semi-conscious as she thrashed weakly against the cave floor. Mistyeyes stumbled backwards, large blue eyes fixed distantly on the injured dragon with every step she took. The leaves were a small amount, nothing at all that could possibly assure her that things were going to be alright. "Will it be enough?" Talon pressed to her side comfortingly at her frantic tone of voice.

"It better be." Juniper growled tersely, sitting herself down in front of Nightflight and doing a quick once-over. Her ear flicked suddenly, and she turned up to face Mistyeyes. "These are my last herbs." She said flatly, watching as the message seemed to sink into the leader. "If you want me to heal Nightflight, then there will be none left for anyone else. Not until we can find more on the Island. And that could take a while." She paused before titling her head to the side intently. "Are you sure you want me to do this?"

Talon looked his daughter's way, a small wince coming over his face, as if he were already guessing her refusal. But Mistyeyes only glared sternly Juniper's way, her voice having an odd ring to it as she said firmly: "Make sure she survives." The father jerked with surprise at the order, his forehead creasing somewhat with confusion as the act registered in his mind. But his daughter refused to look his way, only giving a small nod of her head the Healer's way. "Please." She added. "Do whatever you can for her."

Juniper hesitated a moment before nodding slowly. "I will." She promised turning and arranging her small stack of leaves accordingly. The younger one who had brought her forward looking around aimlessly, looking confused on what to do now as she hesitated. She bore a rather large gash on her head, right over her eye, and Mistyeyes half-expected her to ask for herbs herself. But Mistyeyes must have been staring her way expectantly, for the younger female jerked with surprise, backing away rapidly with a nervous sort of gait. She leaned over awkwardly with a small bow, muttering a useless apology before turning and rushing away.

Mistyeyes watched Juniper carefully, like an irritating hawk that would circle over you and never leave. Her paws and legs were sticky with Nightflight's blood, but she tried not to pay much heed to all of it. Instead, she lingered on the edge, looking stressed and worried. But then there was a small cough behind her, jarring her out of her inner struggling as she turned to face the noise, startled. Talon was behind her, as well as a few members of the pack. Her father turned, nodding their way as he looked at her carefully from the corner of his eye. "These four say that they're well enough." He explained, Mistyeyes realizing with a guilty stroke that she had probably missed them saying that themselves when she was too preoccupied with her own thoughts. "Would you like them to go out and search for more herbs for Juniper?" He asked softly, once again nudging her along with her process.

Mistyeyes blinked rapidly, having to hesitate for a few moments before being able to reply. Her thoughts were like leaves flying away in the wind, and it was a while before she managed to pin down a few. "Uh….no." She said finally, the group before her straightening at her words. "I'd like you all to take a few laps around the island." She said finally, finding thinking to get easier once she got started. "Go out and make sure that all the humans have gone; T-Toothless too." She added, stumbling a little bit over the name. "Pick up herbs on the way if you find them, but the safety feature should be your first priority."

"Yes, Mistyeyes." They chorused, dipping their heads obediently at her orders. Then they turned, the small cluster of dragons heading quickly out of the cavern. Mistyeyes watched them go, feeling a small spark of relief at the fact that this cave was slowly thinning. Mourners were leaving to be beside their friends and families, and mothers were herding their children away from the mess and gore, chastising the rebellious ones like Shadowclaw on the way out. The worst patch was over it seemed, and yet Mistyeyes couldn't make herself sag fully.

She knew that she hadn't done her best in sticking up to Fleetfoot, she had just been so jarred by what had gone on before and after this whole mess, not to mention what had gone on before. She'd given Toothless an order to attack that human, and yet pretty soon, both Nightflight and Fleetfoot were in on the brawl as well. And no matter what happened, Mistyeyes had been unable to make any of them stop and heed her instructions. She'd lost control in that moment of chaotic fighting, and that disturbed her deeply. Was this just the start? Fleetfoot seemed more than open to challenging her now. Would he stop now that Nightflight could live and make it thought this? Or was this just the mark of something bigger that was going to happen?

"Mistyeyes." She turned at her name, looking back uncomfortably at her father. The pair of them were a ways away from Juniper and Nightflight; just far enough for Mistyeyes to keep watch on what was going on. She knew in the back of her mind that she should probably be making her own rounds of the cave, making sure that the humans were gone but also making sure the Pack was recovering from the ambush. But she hadn't left yet, staying still and merely looking around at the cave walls that already surrounding her.

Her ears flicked nervously at the tone of voice her father used, but she turned anyway. After all, she had nothing to be ashamed of. She just saved the life of one of her own, and there was nothing wrong in that…right? The question was meant to be rhetoric, but she still felt as though it conveyed a sense of internal bickering. "Yes?" She asked, voice low in hopes that Juniper would know not to listen back to them two. Besides, the elder dragon had her paws full with Nightflight at the moment; she would hardly make time to listen back with idle gossip.

Talon stared at her closely, making Mistyeyes's scales itch from the scrutinizing look. It was a moment before he spoke, and when he did, his voice was carefully level and calm. "What was that?" He asked, nodding over Nightflight's way.

"What was what?" She asked, blinking at the odd question. "I saved her."

"You put her before others."

"Did I?" Mistyeyes asked softly, looking away rather pointedly. "I didn't notice."

"You didn't notice when you ordered Juniper to use all she could to help her?" Talon asked softly, knowing his daughter far too well to know that she would never overlook a detail. Mistyeyes looked away, ear flicking as she realized that she didn't have a very good answer for that. He nodded a little bit, as if confirming his own mental question at her lack of reply. "I see." He said, watching as she gave a small sigh. But instead all he did was nod Nightflight's way a second time. "What about what Toothless said?"

"What about what Toothless said?" She asked, feeling like a mere echo of her father as she seemed to repeat everything he said.

"Well, he told us that she tricked hi m. That she was liar. That technically she was the reason that the humans came to attack us. Frankly, after hearing something like that, I was rather surprised to see you so keen on helping her. Especially since you and her have never really gotten along together at all before now." Mistyeyes refused to say anything, so he leaned over yet again. "Is there something you're not telling me?" He asked gently, trying his best to nudge her into speaking.

"No." She said sharply, flicking the tip of her tail dismissively. "No, I've said everything I need to."

Talon's eyes narrowed slightly at her tone, as if he knew that she wasn't sharing everything. "…Alright." He said simply, getting to his feet and starting to walk away from her. The younger perked at this, ears flattening to her head as she watched her father leave with a rather anxious sort of feeling. But Talon didn't stop at her look after him, merely marching his way down the cave corridor without a glance back at her. "Well, you come and talk to me when you feel like it." He called back, parting words as he rounded the corner and disappeared.

Mistyeyes found herself alone besides Juniper and Nightflight. Her ears slicked back to her head, and she gave a small shuffle of her feet, suddenly letting herself feel the full-force of her anxiousness as she looked across the clearing. Juniper was mumbling under her breath, not even aware of Mistyeyes's presence as she sorted through her small pile of leaves. She was making quick work with Nightflight, and Mistyeyes could see that the black dragoness was already starting to look better.

She'd done something good. She'd saved Nightflight. There was nothing wrong with that.

…So why did she feel so scared?

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

"Good morning, Nightflight!" Mistyeyes called, the customary greeting between them as she squeezed into the rather narrow entrance of the cave in which Nightflight rested inside. Juniper was off to the side, sorting through more herbs now that the other dragons had collected more for her. It had been weeks since the human ambush, and Mistyeyes was just now starting to hope that things could actually get back to normal for once. She walked with a skip in her step, blue eyes bright and cheery as she made for Nightflight's nest. "How are you feeling this morning?"

To her surprise, Nightflight actually responded this time. Usually the female would abruptly ignore her, and leave Juniper to relay her case to the Leader. So when Nightflight actually raised her head to look Mistyeyes's way, the gray female felt a small stroke of hope. But it was immediately crushed as Nightflight gave out a short sniff. "Do you have to come here every morning?" She asked scathingly, looking more than fed-up with the Leader. "It's really annoying. I'm fine."

Mistyeyes's mouth remained open for a moment, the dragon fumbling mentally at the uncalled for retort. But then she cleared her throat, going forward awkwardly as she tried to pretend that she had not heard the sharp jab. "Err- you've been in here for a while. I was wondering if you wanted to go out and about today." Before now, she'd given Juniper strict instructions to keep Nightflight inside her split in the cave wall. She'd told herself back then that it was purely for the reason of much-needed rest. But after weeks had gone by and she still refused any leave of the caverns, she realized that it probably had more to do with the fact that she simply did not want Nightflight out of her sight or having herself unable to track down the female accordingly. But now she was starting to come to the conclusion that she couldn't pin Nightflight forever, lest the other dragons begin to talk about things such as 'unfair treatment' or things of that nature.

But Nightflight seemed to think along the same line as she was, pushing herself up to a sitting position with a small wince before saying anything. "It's about time." She said tartly, looking at her with a distrusting sort of stare. "I was beginning to think that I would rot away in this nest. It took you quite a while to decide that I was fit to get up and move, didn't it?" Mistyeyes blinked rapidly, narrowing her eyes as she started to reply, but Nightflight wasn't even bothering to listen to her as she got up to her feet next. "Do you doubt the skills of your Elder so much?" The words came out as teasing, but Mistyeyes felt a stab as she realized that Nightflight was throwing her a meaningful look.

Juniper straightened at this, turning back and looking with bewilderment at the two behind her. Mistyeyes finally managed to jump over her mental hurdle, clearing her throat a little shakily as she forced herself to find her voice. "O-Of course not." She stammered. "I know Juniper is fully capable of taking care of you. I was just trying to make it easiest on her as I could. She needed time to recover from the attack as well…I just thought….that it was best to keep you in one place…"

"For four weeks?" Nightflight asked with a roll of her eyes. Juniper glanced the female's way, blinking once before turning back to her work. Mistyeyes flared a little bit at this, feeling somewhat perplexed by what was happening. How could she do that? How could she talk so conversationally but mean something so out of the ordinary? And how was it so easy to pick up on? She shook her head clear quickly, trying to jar her out of the thoughts and focus.

"Well…that's what I came here to tell you." She said, voice tight and formal now as she straightened somewhat taller. "I came to let you know that Juniper and I think you're well enough to be allowed leave every once and a while. You'll still be expected to spend the night in this cave with her, but during the day you're allowed to roam as you wish." She paused a moment before adding a little hastily: "As long as you aren't doing anything too strenuous. We don't want you to get worse out there."

"I think I'll manage." Nightflight said dryly, stretching for a brief moment before brushing past her roughly. Mistyeyes stumbled, looking down at the ground in surprise for a moment before turning back and looking after the female with a hard look. She opened her mouth, readying herself to order Nightflight to stay inside anyway because of that. But the black dragoness was gone before she could get another word out, and Mistyeyes found her mouth snapping closed, her words going unspoken as she bit them back furiously.

"That one's a piece of work." Juniper commented finally, surprising Mistyeyes as she forgot that she was not alone. Mistyeyes turned, blinking curiously at this as she looked the older one's way. Juniper gave a small shrug, still concentrating on her supplies as she mulled over numbers and stacks. "I'd watch her if I were you, Mistyeyes. She's an odd one."

Mistyeyes blinked slowly, twisting her neck back around to watch the spot where Nightflight had disappeared. "….Yeah…" She said softly, voice muted and thoughtful. "…Yeah, I know. I'm trying, but it's not that easy." She was glad that someone else seemed to share her concerns about Nightflight; it made her feel less paranoid and more stable. At least she knew that she had at least some ground to go off of this way, it wasn't just her hating the dragon for no reason.

"So why'd you want to save her so badly?" Juniper asked mildly.

Mistyeyes turned to look at her with surprise.

"You know what I'm talking about." The Elder said, eyes flashing. "I heard what you said to your father a while ago, but I don't believe a word of it. You had to have some kind of reason in that head of yours when you wanted to save her. You practically screamed at me to shove every single plant in the world down her throat."

"….I guess….I guess I thought I had a reason. Back then, anyway." She mumbled thoughtfully.

"And now?" Juniper asked curiously, looking at the female closely.

Mistyeyes went silent for a minute, contemplating the answer before she spoke aloud. But when she did, her answer was less than satisfactory. "…I don't know." She whispered, ears flat as she looked after Nightflight. "…I guess I had something in my mind before; it was something important, otherwise I wouldn't have acted the way I did. But….I can't remember it now. Not anymore."

"I'd remember if I were you." Juniper offered. "Before she tries anything more than she already has."

Mistyeyes didn't answer, staring into the darkness of the tunnel that Nightflight went into a feeling a pang of dismay and worry shake through her. Her shoulder sagged at the words, and she gave a slow nod in response. "I will." She promised softly. "I'll make sure to watch her. She won't do anything out of the ordinary; I'll make sure of it."

Looking back on it, she was never really sure which scene in her memories marked the exact time.

But either of them were the bearers of bad news.

And they all marked the beginning of the end.

(~**~) (~**~) (~**~) (~**~)

A/N: **There's shadows on the walls…of moments far too troubling to recall….**

** All the settings and the scenes that signal suffering and passion pleas that ended in a whisper**

Whisper – Dear Hunter

Once again! Thanks for the wait! I hope this long chapter makes up for it, and I hope that you all like it as much as I do! I really hope I can hear from you all again! It's been WAY too long, right? D:


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